Lawyers say a longtime Oregon resident arrested by Border Patrol during the Bear Gulch wildfire was on track for legal status. DHS policies may have been violated.
Lawyers are calling for the immediate release of a longtime Oregon resident who was arrested by US Border Patrol while battling the Bear Gulch wildfire in Washington. They argue the arrest was unlawful, stressing that the firefighter had already been on a path to legal status after assisting federal investigators in solving a crime involving his family.
According to attorneys, the detention violated Department of Homeland Security (DHS) guidelines, which prohibit immigration enforcement actions at emergency response sites. The man is one of two firefighters detained this week while working to contain the Bear Gulch fire in the Olympic National Forest — a blaze that has scorched roughly 14 square miles (36 sq km), forced evacuations, and remained only 13% contained as of Friday.
In a statement, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said agents were supporting a Bureau of Land Management investigation into two contractors at the fire site when they discovered two firefighters allegedly lacking permanent legal status.
Lawyers are demanding the release of a longtime Oregon resident who was detained by US Border Patrol while assisting in efforts to fight a Washington state wildfire. They argue the arrest was unlawful, stressing that the man was already on a path to legal status after helping federal investigators solve a crime against his family.
Attorneys say the arrest violated Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policies, which prohibit immigration enforcement at emergency response locations. The firefighter, one of two men taken into custody this week while working near the Bear Gulch fire in Olympic National Forest, has lived in the US for 19 years after arriving as a child.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the arrests were made while assisting the Bureau of Land Management in a criminal investigation involving contractors at the fire site. Officials claimed the two men were not actively fighting the blaze but providing support, such as cutting logs into firewood. Lawyers counter that the Oregon resident received a U-visa certification in 2017 for helping law enforcement and has been waiting since 2018 for a decision on his application. Under DHS policy, people with pending victim-based immigration benefits are not supposed to face detention.
The arrest has sparked sharp criticism. Senator Ron Wyden condemned the operation, saying firefighters risking their lives should not be subjected to immigration raids that undermine due process. The Bear Gulch fire, which has already burned 14 square miles (36 sq km) and forced evacuations, remains only 13% contained, with more than 300 personnel still battling the blaze.