Immigration Agents Arrest Firefighters Combatting Bear Gulch Wildfire
Story by Nikki McCann Ramirez • 15h
Federal officials arrested two firefighters on Wednesday during what appeared to be an immigration raid on first responders combating the ongoing Bear Gulch wildfire in Washington state. The arrests come as the administration continues to insist that its nationwide crackdown on undocumented immigration is primarily targeting criminals and gang members.
According to a report from The Seattle Times, a spokesperson for the Incident Management Team responding to the blaze said that they were "aware of a Border Patrol operation on the fire." According to sources who spoke to the Times - including firefighters who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation - federal agents spent over three hours running identification checks on two contracted response crews.
"You risked your life out here to save the community," one firefighter said. "This is how they treat us." The firefighter added that they and others were instructed not to record their interactions with law enforcement.
Another firefighter told the Times that the men who were arrested were not allowed to say goodbye to the rest of the crew. "I asked them if his (family) can say goodbye to him because they're family, and they're just ripping them away," the firefighter said. "And this is what he said: ‘You need to get the (expletive) out of here. I'm gonna make you leave.'"
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