U.S. Border Patrol agents detained two Mexican nationals on immigration charges while they were working with a 44-person contract crew assigned to the Bear Gulch Fire in Washington’s Olympic National Forest, the agency confirmed. The arrests occurred on 27 Aug. after the Bureau of Land Management asked Border Patrol to help verify workers’ identities as part of a criminal investigation into the contractors, Oregon-based Table Rock Forestry Inc. and Idaho-based ASI Arden Solutions Inc. Customs and Border Protection said one of the men had a prior removal order and insisted that the three-hour enforcement action did not disrupt firefighting operations. Following the arrests, BLM terminated both contracts and escorted the remaining 42 workers off federal land. The Bear Gulch blaze, the state’s largest active wildfire, has scorched roughly 14 square miles (about 9,000 acres) near Lake Cushman and was 13 percent contained as of Thursday afternoon. Washington and Oregon increasingly rely on private crews to fill gaps caused by federal firefighter shortages, according to union representatives. The detentions drew swift condemnation from elected officials. Washington Senator Patty Murray called the incident evidence of an “immigration policy … fundamentally sick,” while Governor Bob Ferguson said he was “deeply concerned.” Oregon Senator Ron Wyden argued that removing firefighters in mid-season makes communities less safe. Critics warned that immigration enforcement inside a fire zone sets a precedent that could hamper future disaster response.