In an extraordinary and controversial move, federal immigration authorities staged a raid at the front lines of Washington state’s largest wildfire on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, arresting two firefighters and removing dozens more from active duty. The incident unfolded near the Bear Gulch Fire, a massive blaze that has already scorched nearly 9,000 acres of rugged terrain in and around Olympic National Park, according to The Seattle Times and Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB).
The operation involved agents from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), who descended on a wildfire work site on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Their stated purpose: to verify the identities of all 44 firefighters present, most of whom were working for private firefighting firms under federal contract.
The result was swift and dramatic. Two men were arrested after officials discovered they were in the United States illegally. One of the detained firefighters, as confirmed by his attorneys at Innovation Law Lab, is a resident of Oregon and is now being held at a facility in Bellingham, Washington. According to CBP spokesperson Jaime Ruiz, one of the men had previously been ordered to leave the country. The identities of the arrested men have not been released.
The fallout didn’t stop with the arrests. Federal officials terminated contracts with both Table Rock Forestry Inc. and ASI Arden Solutions Inc., the Oregon-based companies employing the crews, after what the BLM described as “several discrepancies” in the personnel rosters. Even though Table Rock Forestry was able to show that its firefighters all had legal H-2B visas—temporary, nonagricultural work permits—the company’s crew was demobilized and sent home. The reason, according to the company’s secretary Scott Polhamus, was allegedly a half-hour discrepancy on a time sheet.
Polhamus, who also serves as secretary of the Organization of Fire Contractors and Affiliates, told Stateline that the incident has sent shockwaves through the wildland fire community. “[Immigrants] make up a huge portion of forestry and fire, they’re an integral part of this industry,” he said. “There’s a lot of brown bodies out there on the fire line.”
Veteran firefighters and industry advocates say it’s nearly unprecedented for federal agents to conduct immigration enforcement so close to the front lines of an active wildfire. Many are concerned that the raid will make it more difficult to fully staff fire crews at the peak of the Western fire season—a time when every available hand is desperately needed. “If you’re a migrant worker and this starts happening, are you going to keep on doing that and risk getting picked up?” asked Bobbie Scopa, a 45-year firefighting veteran and executive secretary of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters. “If [immigration authorities] keep visiting fire camps, we will definitely have fewer contract crews.”
Scopa also noted the broader chilling effect of such raids, especially under the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies. “When the rumble from this goes around, we’re going to have contractors unable to put out as many crews as they were,” she warned. “We don’t know what the requirement is not to get shipped off by ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. Even if you’re a citizen and you look the wrong way, you could still get picked up.”
The Bear Gulch Fire, which continues to threaten communities and wildlife in the region, is being fought by a mix of federal, state, and contract crews. While government agencies typically hire only U.S. citizens, private companies often rely on immigrant labor, including those with H-2B visas or workers seeking citizenship. The removal of even a few crew members can have an outsized impact. If a team loses two or three firefighters, it may no longer meet the minimum specifications required to fulfill its contract, leading to the entire crew being grounded—without pay—until replacements arrive.
Adding to the controversy, attorneys representing at least one of the detained men say they have been unable to contact their client since his arrest. “Although we have been searching for him since yesterday afternoon, CBP has concealed his whereabouts,” said Rodrigo Fernandez-Ortega, a staff attorney at Innovation Law Lab. “Our client has not been able to make contact with his lawyer or family.” He demanded that authorities “allow him to access counsel as is his right afforded by the U.S. Constitution.”
Public officials from both Washington and Oregon have condemned the timing and manner of the operation. Washington Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove, who leads the state’s wildfire response agency, issued a pointed statement: “[T]he Trump administration’s crude and inhumane approach to immigration enforcement has intentionally and unnecessarily stoked fear and mistrust among members of the public—including firefighters putting their lives on the line to protect our State.” Oregon Senator Ron Wyden was even more direct, denouncing the arrests as an “evil stunt.” He added, “Arresting firefighters putting their lives on the line to protect our communities doesn’t make us safer.”
For their part, federal authorities have defended the operation. In a statement, the Border Patrol said the action was the result of a BLM investigation into discrepancies on the rosters provided by the contract fire companies. “Several discrepancies were identified, and two individuals were found to be present in the United States illegally,” Ruiz wrote. The Border Patrol also asserted that the operation did not interfere with firefighting efforts, a claim that has been met with skepticism by many in the wildland fire community.
Tom Stokesberry, public information officer for California Interagency Incident Management Team 7—which had overseen the fire crews until Thursday—acknowledged awareness of the raid but declined to comment on whether it affected operations. Notably, the raid occurred on the California team’s last day in charge, just hours before a Washington team took command.
The incident has reignited debate over the role of immigrant labor in America’s firefighting workforce. Polhamus emphasized the industry’s reliance on contract crews: “We utilize thousands and thousands of contract firefighters. It absolutely could impact our ability to manage fires if we’re losing crews.” Opinions within the contracting community about hiring workers without legal status may vary, but there is widespread agreement that conducting an immigration raid during an active wildfire is dangerous and irresponsible.
As the Bear Gulch Fire continues to burn, the reverberations of this week’s events are likely to be felt throughout the Western wildfire community—and perhaps beyond. With fire season far from over, many are left wondering what impact such enforcement actions will have on the nation’s ability to respond to an ever-growing threat.
For now, the fate of the arrested firefighters remains uncertain, and legal advocates are pressing for their right to counsel. In the meantime, a cloud of fear and uncertainty hangs over the fire lines, threatening not just those who battle the blazes, but the communities and landscapes they strive to protect.
