Border Patrol arrest two firefighters battling a wildfire in Washington State
August 28, 2025 | Nicole Haas



Source

Two firefighters were reportedly arrested by border patrol agents while fighting the Bear Gulch fire in Washington State.
Federal agents were on the scene checking the identities of contractor crews hired to battle the fire.
Firefighters spoke anonymously to local media about the incident.

And From the Seattle Times:

Two people fighting the Bear Gulch fire on the Olympic Peninsula were arrested by federal law enforcement Wednesday, in a confrontation described by firefighters and depicted in photos and video.

Why the two firefighters were arrested is unclear. But a spokesperson for the Incident Management Team leading the firefighting response said the team was "aware of a Border Patrol operation on the fire," that it was not interfering with the firefighting response and referred reporters to the Border Patrol station in Port Angeles.

Over three hours, federal agents demanded identification from the members of two private contractor crews. The crews were among the 400 people including firefighters deployed to fight the wildfire, the largest active blaze in Washington state.

Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday about the confrontation.

It is unusual for federal border agents to make arrests during the fighting of an active fire, especially in a remote area.

Native Americans now illegal.   This is NOT fine!