Firefighter arrests renew debate on mitigation
By: Trevor Hughes
USA today
..... The arrest of two wildland firefighters accused of working illegally in Washington state has sparked a new round of debate over the Trump administration's priorities about wildfires and mitigation enforcement.
.....
In videos shared widely on social media, federal immigration agents were recorded detaining tow firefighters who were working on federal land in a remote area of the Olympic Peninsula. U.S. Border Patrol officials confirmed to USA Today the men were arrested on immigration violations, which 42 other workers were released after being removed from the property.
..... Videos of the August 27 [2025] incident posted to social media have drawn broad condemnation by Washington state residents upset that federal officials halted firefighters; work to check immigration paperwork. One of the videos showed the yellow-shirted men being handcuffed amid stacks of downed trees in the middle of a forest.
..... "Deeply concerned about this situation with two individuals helping to fight fires in Washington state. "I've directed my team tog et more information about what happened,: Washington Governor Bob Ferguson,a Democrat, said in a spot on X on august 28. [2025]
..... The crew were not directly fighting the 9,000-acre Bear Culch fire, but were assisting in wildfire-prevention efforts in the area, and federal officials said the arrests did not affect ongoing firefighting. But some state officials say the immigration detentions raise questions about White House priorities at a time when many fire departments have struggled to adequacy hire wildland firefighters.
..... President Donald Trump, has promised the largest mass deportation in history, and federal statistics show many of the people being detained for deportation have no criminal record aside from mitigation violations. As of august 10, [2025] about 30% of immigration detainees have a criminal covington, which can include traffic offenses, according to the most current Transactional records Access Clearinghouse analysis of federal data.
.....
Federal officials confirmed to USA Today that they targeted the workers as part of a criminal investigation into two companies that provide wildland firefighters: Table rock Forestry Incorporated and ASI/Arden Solutions Incorporated.
..... The companies were apparently working on contract with the federal Bureau of Land Management.
.....
The Trump administration has downsized the federal workforce, including thousands of people who hold the "rd cards" necessary to fight wildland fires, and private firefighting contractors who have long assisted communities by removing brush and other fire hazards.
..... Federal officials did not immediately answer questions about why the two companies were targeted: there is no record of pending criminal case, according to federal court records.
..... The identities of the two men were not reals ed by federal officials, who said one of the men had previously been ordered to leave the United States. Neither Table Rock Forestry nor Arden Solutions returned phone messages left August 28. [2025]