FIREFIGHTERS battling a wildfire in Washington state were arrested by US immigration agents this week as part of a criminal investigation into their employers, sparking outrage from politicians and unions.

Federal agencies said that the Bureau of Land Management asked the Border Patrol to verify the identities of crews working at the Bear Gulch Fire, leading to the detention of two men for allegedly being in the US illegally. 

Contracts with their Oregon-based employers, Table Rock Forestry Inc and ASI Arden Solutions Inc, were terminated.

US Senator Patty Murray condemned the arrests, calling them “as immoral as they are dangerous,” while Oregon Senator Ron Wyden said the move “makes communities less safe.”

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said he was “deeply concerned,” questioning why the Trump administration’s “cruel” immigration policies now extended to firefighters.

Washington State Council of Fire Fighters president Dennis Lawson said that firefighters work as a team, and losing a member for any reason hurts their ability to serve their communities.

The Bear Gulch Fire has burned about 14 square miles in the Olympic National Forest.

“You risked your life out here to save the community,” one firefighter told The Seattle Times. 

“This is how they treat us.”

Lawyers from nonprofit organisation Innovation Law Lab said one of the arrested men they were representing was unlawfully detained and they have been unable to locate him.

“We demand that they allow him to access counsel as is his right afforded by the US Constitution,” lawyer Rodrigo Fernandez-Ortega said.

“We have seen entire towns burned to the ground and it is outrageous that the US border patrol unlawfully detained the brave individuals who are protecting us.”

During the 2020 wildfire season under the first Trump administration, Homeland Security stated that federal bodies were concerned about the impact the fires could have, saying their highest priority was “the preservation of life and safety.”

“In consideration of these circumstances, there will be no immigration enforcement initiatives associated with evacuations or sheltering related to the wildfires, except in the event of a serious public safety threat,” the statement said.

Public Lands commissioner Dave Upthegrove, whose agency oversees wildland firefighting efforts, said: “While we don’t have all of the details yet, this is all occurring at a time when the Trump administration’s crude and inhumane approach to immigration enforcement has intentionally and unnecessarily stoked fear and mistrust among members of the public — including firefighters putting their lives on the line to protect our state.”