Border Patrol operation at wildfire in Washington state sparks criticism

SEATTLE (AP) — A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol operation at the site of a wildfire on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula sparked condemnation by Sen. Patty Murray who said firefighters put their lives at risk to keep communities safe.

It was not immediately clear what the Border Patrol action was about, but several firefighters who witnessed the incident told The Seattle Times on condition of anonymity that federal agents demanded identification from firefighters working for two private contractors before taking two into custody.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond Thursday to email messages seeking comment.

Jennifer Risdal, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service’s Incident Management Team overseeing the firefighting efforts, said they were aware of the Border Patrol activities at the fire site but offered no information about what happened.

“The Border Patrol operation is not interfering with firefighting activity and Bear Gulch firefighters continue to make progress on the fire,” Risdal told The Associated Press in an email.

The blaze has burned about 14 square miles (36 square kilometers) on the north side of Lake Cushman in the Olympic National Forest and National Park and was 13 percent contained on Thursday.

Murray responded to the news on Thursday by saying the Trump administration has undercut wildland firefighting by “decimating the Forest Service” and their immigration policy “is fundamentally sick.”

“Here in the Pacific Northwest, wildfires can, and have, burned entire towns to the ground,” the Democrat said in a statement, “This new Republican policy to detain firefighters on the job is as immoral as it is dangerous.”

During the first Trump administration, DHS issued a statement during the 2020 wildfire season saying CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement were concerned about the impact the fires could have on Western states and said their highest priority was “the preservation of life and safety.”

“In consideration of these circumstances, there will be no immigration enforcement initiatives associated with evacuations or sheltering related to the wildfires, except in the event of a serious public safety threat,” the statement said.

Washington Department of Natural Resources spokesman Michael Kelly told The Associated Press that they were aware of the Border Patrol’s appearance at the fire, but referred questions to federal officials.