Federal authorities in the US state of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula detained two firefighters who were members of a team attempting to contain a wildfire, according to federal authorities.
Border Patrol and the US Department of Homeland Security both stated in a statement on Thursday that border patrol agents discovered that two of the workers had been working without authorization in the country while they were being detained while the operation was being conducted.
Federal agents reportedly held crews from private fire contractors for several hours on Wednesday as they prepared to tackle the state’s 9, 000-acre (3, 600-hectare) Bear Gulch Fire.
According to reports, the immigration raid was unusual because, according to reports, such operations have traditionally been carried out in the middle of natural disasters or at places of emergency.
Forest rangers requested the names on contractor firefighter rosters, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Two individuals were discovered to be living illegally in the United States, one of whom had a prior removal order, according to a statement from CBP.
Additionally, the US Bureau of Land Management allegedly escorted its 42 firefighter employees off federal land after terminating contracts with two contractor firms at the site.
On suspicion of illegal entry and re-entry into the US, the two firefighters were detained and taken into custody.
The 44 firefighters were reportedly lined up and given the order to produce identification during the arrests, with crew members claiming that they were prevented from filming the incident, according to The Seattle Times.
One firefighter, who was unnamed, told the paper, “You risked your life out here to save the community.”
“They treat us in this manner,” they say.
Oregon’s Democratic Senator Ron Wyden denounced the immigration arrest, saying it made communities less safe, by posting the news on social media site X.
Bob Ferguson, the Democratic governor of Washington, stated that he was looking for information on the immigration operation.
He wrote on social media that he was “deeply concerned about this situation with two people helping to fight fires in Washington state.”
Source: Aljazeera
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