WA Border Patrol agents arrest 2 firefighters battling Bear Gulch Fire

https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/fi...ear-gulch-fire

Summary:
August 28, 2025

  • Two firefighters battling the Bear Gulch Fire in Mason County were arrested for illegal entry.
  • U.S. Border Patrol detained 44 firefighters, releasing 42 and arresting two found to be in the U.S. illegally.
  • Senator Patty Murray criticized the operation, while Border Patrol defended its actions as lawful enforcement.


MASON COUNTY, Wash. - U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested two firefighters who were battling a wildfire in Mason County during an immigration enforcement operation on Wednesday.

What we know
A press release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection claims the two wildland firefighters were arrested on charges of illegal entry. It happened at the site of the Bear Gulch Fire, which has burned more than 8,500 acres over a seven-week span.

Immigration agents rounded up 44 firefighters working under private contractors after the U.S. Forest Service terminated contracts with two firms that were part of a separate criminal investigation by U.S. Border Patrol.

Of the rounded up firefighters, two were found to be in the U.S. illegally, with one having been previously deported, according to the press release. The two individuals were arrested and taken to the Bellingham Border Patrol Station, and the other 42 firefighters were released and escorted off federal lands.

What they're saying
In a statement, a spokesperson for the USDA Forest Service said they are "aware of a Border Patrol operation on the Bear Gulch Fire," and "there have been no impacts to firefighting efforts and progress continues to be made on containment."