A Thurston County commissioner says federal agents put politics over public safety.
THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — The immigration arrests of two firefighters working a wildfire in Mason County have prompted a Thurston County commissioner to propose an ordinance limiting the authority of federal agents during emergency responses.
“We don’t—we don’t like cops coming onto our fires,” said Commissioner Wayne Fournier, an Aberdeen firefighter. “You’ve got to let us do our job. That’s it.”
Last week, the U.S. Border Patrol arrested two firefighters on the Bear Gulch Fire, burning near Lake Cushman.
The fire began in early July and is 10% contained, according to fire information officers.
Fournier called the arrests unacceptable, adding, “Emergency scenes are already hazardous. Jurisdictional overreach only adds confusion, causes delays, and increases risk to life and property.”
Under his proposal, federal agents would be required to “refrain from disrupting emergency operations or interfering with personnel unless there is an immediate and articulable threat to public safety.”
The proposed law would also require federal authorities to obtain warrants and coordinate any enforcement actions with incident commanders, preferably after emergencies are resolved.
“This is not a partisan issue,” Fournier said. “Emergencies should not, you know, they should not be part of any partisan discussion. People’s lives, people’s property, need to be put first.”
One of the detained firefighters, Jose Cruz Estrada, was previously deported following a 2013 drug charge but had stayed out of trouble since returning to the United States in 2019, according to his family.
Fournier emphasized the importance of allowing emergency responders to focus on their duties without interference.
The commissioner encouraged other counties to consider similar protective measures for emergency operations.
