UPDATE: October 29, 2025. 4:30 p.m. — Role of detained workers was changed from “Firefighters” to “Firefighting Crew” in title and within article due to conflicting reports on detainees’ roles.
Over the past few weeks, wildfires have been raging in Washington and firefighters have been working tirelessly to contain them. However, while fighting the Bear Gulch fire, two firefighting crew support members were detained after the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted ID checks of firefighters heading to work on the scene according to a press release from The Washington Post.
This reportedly led to the detention of immigrant firefighting crew who had been working to contain wildfires across central and eastern Washington.
The enforcement operations targeting undocumented crew in Washington state have sparked outrage among immigrant rights advocates and emergency response experts, who warn that such actions endanger both vulnerable workers and public safety during worsening climate disasters.
Professor Aaron Strain, Baker Ferguson chair of politics and leadership, highlighted the long history of exploiting undocumented labor during disaster recovery efforts in a statement to The Wire.
“During Hurricane Katrina, the hundreds of undocumented workers who cleaned up and rebuilt the city experienced wage theft, unsafe living conditions and exposure to hazardous materials. Employers knew they could threaten and endanger undocumented workers who were afraid of deportation. . . So, undocumented immigrants in dangerous and chaotic disaster zones have historically been exploited from many different directions, even as they keep communities safe and help rebuild. The recent targeting of firefighters for deportation is just another chapter in that story,” Strain said.
Strain noted that undocumented labor has been a pillar of disaster defense and recovery across the United States. From rebuilding homes in New Orleans to repairing infrastructure after hurricanes and floods in Texas and Florida, immigrant workers have consistently filled labor shortages in emergency zones, often without protections, fair pay or recognition.
The recent enforcement actions come amid wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest and renewed national debates over immigration policy. Many argue the raids are politically motivated and undermine critical disaster response efforts.
Professor of sociology and volunteer wildland firefighter with Walla Walla County Fire District #4, Alissa Cordner, explained how this year’s wildfire season compares to others and how broader structural issues, including experience of the workforce and federal policy shifts, are shaping the firefighting landscape.
In looking at Washington’s current wildfire season, Cordner explained how this fire season has had a significantly lower acreage nationally on fire than the 10-year average, but the quieter fire season masks a deeper problem – uncertainty and low morale among firefighters.
“With the current presidential administration, with all of the cuts that came through the DOGE efforts, with hiring restrictions, with forced layoffs or firings and also some pretty prominent voluntary resignation programs, there are potentially significant gaps in the firefighting workforce. There also are very legitimate concerns about morale among government-employed firefighters. And so that is a situation where there’s just tremendous uncertainty for folks who are on the ground, making it a challenging fire season regardless of what the weather is doing and what the fires themselves are doing,” Cordner said.
Cordner emphasized that wildland firefighters and support crews already work under intense physical and emotional strain, which is something that is exacerbated by inconsistent employment, low base wages and insufficient benefits. She also stressed the precariousness of private sector firefighting contractors, many of whom are undocumented or lack stable work protections. Due to the fact that they are only paid when actively assigned to incidents, it is a slower season for them. When adding in the risk of deportation, it becomes very dangerous for them.
In Washington, state and local laws limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, but those limits don’t apply to agencies like ICE or the Bureau of Land Management, as they operate in a legal gray area where immigrant workers remain vulnerable even when doing essential public safety work.
Eric Wood, fire chief of the Walla Walla Fire Department, explained the importance of each piece of the response team in responding to emergency situations like these wildfires we are seeing, and understanding how every moving part is essential to keeping people safe from natural disasters.
“The largest concern [right now] is resource and personnel availability and ensuring that we have adequate firefighters on the ground to assist with suppression efforts,” Wood said.
Cordner sees policy reform as critical, not just around immigration, but around how the U.S. supports its wildland firefighting workforce.
“Better pay, year-round employment options, healthcare, including mental health support, these are all needed. . . One concrete challenge that is exacerbated by the current uncertainty is the loss of experienced managers and experienced firefighting personnel, and also experienced land managers who are needed to inform the decision-making that goes into fire operations,” Cordner said.
While rhetoric often frames immigration enforcement as a safety concern, Professor Strain cautioned that it’s not always the case.
“Trump says cracking down on immigrants makes us safer, but we can see in this case that it’s making us all more vulnerable,” Strain said.
As wildfires continue to burn and emergency crews remain stretched thin, advocates warn that the consequences of targeting immigrant labor are both immediate and long-term.
