Border Patrol arrested two firefighters who were actively fighting a wildfire at the time.

[In It to Win It]

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/federal-agents-arrest-firefighters-working-on-wa-wildfire/

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.

🚨Border Patrol arrested two firefighters who were actively fighting a wildfire at the time.

When the other members of the crew asked for a chance to say goodbye, a Border Patrol agent told the crew member “you need to get the f*ck out of here. I’m going to make you leave.”

— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social) 2025-08-28T02:51:50.127Z

[Klarkashton]

1. How many actual MS 13 have they arrested?

My guess is zero, because if they had it would be big fucking news right?

[sheshe2]

2. I am at a loss for words.

[Bread and Circuses]

3. What am I reading! ? !

Fire fighters at an active fire? Why ?

[pfitz59]

4. I am in Washington State.

Smoke the the fire is casting a pall over Seattle. This is a travesty.

[BidenRocks]

13. Fire and ICE

[KT2000]

5. Patty Murray had to set them straight

years ago. Bored, over zealous jerks that were responsible for a lot of Hispanic people leaving the area, even though their papers were legal, due to the harassment. They left shortages in the medical field that have been replaced by out of area contractors that cost a lot more than local employees.

This fire is a bad one and we are getting smoke from it. I want to thank them for their service. They are working in dangerous terrain, in the heat and then they are pushed around by BP "tough guys." Trump and his flunkies should get out there and fight fires for us. Fighting fires is a hellish job.

[Liberty Belle]

6. This endangers other firefighters left without a full crew, and imperils the entire community.

Monstrous. I don't care if they are fucking murderers--if they're fighting a wildfire, leave them alone until the fire is under control.

And of course they likely broke no laws at all, merely came here for better lives.

[SunSeeker]

9. And it is illegal.

https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/penal-code/pen-sect-148-2/

[Seinan Sensei]

7. Our Army has soldiers who are not citizens

So what is ICE gonna do?
Jump in a foxhole during a fire-fight, then drag them back to their ICE-mobile?

[SunSeeker]

8. In CA, and many other states, it is illegal to interfere with a firefighter attempting to discharge his official duty.

California Code, Penal Code - PEN § 148.2 | FindLaw https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/penal-code/pen-sect-148-2/

[LeftInTX]

15. I think they're in a national forest.

[SunSeeker]

16. State laws still apply in national forests.

While federal jurisdiction is supreme, state agencies can still enforce their own laws and regulations on national forest lands, such as for hunting. https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/blog/hunting-national-forests#:~:text=All%20state%20laws%20apply%20to,in%20a%20particular%20national%20forest.

A potential problem with enforcing state law here is that where state and federal law conflict, federal law reigns supreme. But is immigration law really in conflict with letting a firefighter do his job?

[angrychair]

10. I worked wildfire for 10 years

On Incident Management Teams. A lot of line crews are Hispanic...most of them are here in Washington. A lot. They scare off those guys and we are in trouble. The only thing working in our favor is that fire season normally starts to wind down about now. Hopefully that's the case.

[ultralite001]

11. 💔💔💔

TIA

[Dem2theMax]

12. Can't say what I'm thinking.

In my world, firefighters are our number one First Responders. You do not mess with firefighters, ever.

[USS_Dauntless]

14. ICE and CBP are scum.

Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum. Scum.