Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on federal Border Patrol agents arresting two firefighters battling the Bear Gulch fire on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state on Wednesday:
“Trump has undercut our wildland firefighting abilities in more ways than one—from decimating the Forest Service and pushing out thousands of critical support staff, to now apparently detaining firefighters on the job. This administration’s immigration policy is fundamentally sick. Trump has wrongfully detained everyone from lawful green card holders to American citizens—no one should assume this was necessary or appropriate.
“Here in the Pacific Northwest, wildfires can, and have, burned entire towns to the ground. We count on our brave firefighters, who put their lives on the line, to keep our communities safe—this new Republican policy to detain firefighters on the job is as immoral as it is dangerous.
“What’s next? Will Trump start detaining immigrant servicemembers? Or will he just maintain his current policy of deporting Purple Heart veterans?
“I am demanding immediate answers from this administration about the circumstances of this incident, the whereabouts of the detained firefighters, and the administration’s current policy regarding immigration enforcement during active wildfires.”
###
