Two illegal immigrants working with contracted crews in support of firefighters responding to the Bear Gulch Fire in Mason County, Washington, were arrested last Wednesday by U.S. Border Patrol officials.
In a Thursday press release, Customs and Border Protection confirmed that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management asked the Port Angeles Border Patrol Station to provide assistance with the termination of two firm contracts with Table Rock Forestry Inc. and ASI Arden Solutions Inc. on Wednesday, following a criminal investigation by the Bureau of Land Management.
“Due to the remote location of the work site, BLM requested USBP assistance verifying the identities of all personnel present,” the press release stated. “The work crews, totaling 44 individuals, required identity verification to ensure that the individuals on-site matched the contractor rosters.”
Customs and Border Protection confirmed that multiple “discrepancies were identified” and that two of the workers were determined to have illegally entered the United States, including one individual who had previously been ordered to be removed from the country.
According to the press release, Wednesday’s operation resulted in the two illegal immigrants being arrested on charges of illegal entry and reentry into the United States and transported to Bellingham Station.
In a video shared on X, formerly Twitter, Border Patrol agents can be seen talking with members of the two work crews.
Following Wednesday’s operation, Gov. Bob Ferguson (D-Wash.) issued a statement expressing concern that the two illegal immigrants arrested by Border Patrol officials were helping fight fires at the time of their arrest.
“Deeply concerned about this situation with two individuals helping to fight fires in Washington state,” Ferguson stated. “I’ve directed my team to get more information about what happened.”
READ MORE: Video/Pic: Illegal immigrant child sex offender living at daycare arrested by ICE
In addition to Ferguson’s concerns, mainstream media outlets claimed that the two illegal immigrants were firefighters.
In an effort to clarify the identities of the two illegal immigrants arrested on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement on Friday, saying, “The two illegal aliens apprehended were NOT firefighters. The two contracted work crews questioned on the day of their arrests were not even assigned to actively fight the fire; they were there in a support role, cutting logs into firewood. The firefighting response remained uninterrupted the entire time.”
“No active firefighters were even questioned, and U.S. Border Patrol’s actions did not prevent or interfere with any personnel actively engaged in firefighting efforts,” the Department of Homeland Security added. “The mainstream media is once again spreading fake news about federal law enforcement efforts.”
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Author: Timothy Frudd
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