Overview

• CBP says Border Patrol agents, responding to a Bureau of Land Management inquiry, reviewed IDs for 44 contractor crew members at the Bear Gulch fire and detained two.
• Officials reported finding record discrepancies and said the two detainees were in the U.S. illegally, including one with a prior removal order; contractors from ASI Arden Solutions Inc. and Table Rock Forestry Inc. were affected by contract cancellations.
• Witnesses described unmarked vehicles, multi‑hour questioning, a ban on recording, and emotional distress, while CBP and ICE maintained the enforcement did not disrupt firefighting operations.
• Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and Senator Patty Murray criticized the action at an emergency site and requested information and accountability from federal agencies.
• News outlets reported the two detained Mexican contractors were later deported, and CBP indicated they were initially taken to a detention facility in Bellingham.