Two firefighters were arrested by U.S. Border Patrol during a federal immigration operation at the Bear Gulch wildfire in Olympic National Forest—an unprecedented move that has drawn sharp criticism from fire crews, union leaders, and elected officials in Washington and Oregon.

The men, reportedly of Latino background, were part of a 44-person crew employed by Oregon-based contractors working to contain the state’s largest active wildfire. The Bear Gulch blaze has burned over 9,000 acres near Lake Cushman and was just 13% contained as of late last week.

Federal officials said the arrests stemmed from a broader criminal investigation into contractor hiring practices, citing alleged timekeeping fraud. But fire officials, legal advocates, and veteran firefighters say the operation—conducted at an active fire site—violated longstanding norms and possibly federal policy.

Immigration enforcement at disaster zones is generally prohibited unless there’s an immediate public safety threat. The two men were reportedly cutting wood in a support role, not engaged in direct firefighting. One has lived in the U.S. since age 4 and is awaiting a decision on his U-Visa application, granted to victims of crime who assist law enforcement.

The Bureau of Land Management said it terminated contracts with the two firefighting companies and removed the rest of the crew from federal land. But industry representatives say the contracts were not formally canceled, only paused. Legal advocates allege the arrest violated Homeland Security policies and the detained firefighter’s constitutional rights. His lawyers say they were initially denied access to him and are demanding his release.

The operation, which may have been coordinated with help from the fire’s incident command team, has prompted questions about who authorized the raid. Elected officials, including Sen. Patty Murray and Gov. Bob Ferguson, condemned the arrests as reckless and dangerous.

The Bear Gulch response continues with reduced staffing.