Federal agents conducted identification checks and arrests of firefighters and private contractor crews while those crews were deployed to fight Washington’s largest active wildfire. The Incident Management Team said it was aware of a Border Patrol operation and that it was not interfering, and it referred questions to the Port Angeles Border Patrol station. Approximately 400 personnel, including firefighters and contractor crews, were involved. Agents arrived around 9:30 a.m., asked crews to line up for ID checks, and told some members not to film. Arrests during active firefighting in remote areas are described as unusual and raised concerns about safety, morale, and enforcement priorities.
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. It is unusual for federal border agents to make arrests during the fighting of an active fire, especially in a remote area. Jesus, one would hope so.
While they were waiting for their division supervisor to arrive, federal law enforcement showed up around 9:30 a.m. Federal law enforcement asked the crews to line up to check their IDs, according to the firefighters. One of the firefighters said members of the crew were told not to take video of the incident. You risked your life out here to save the community, the firefighter said. This is how they treat
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