When Emergency Heroes Become Targets: The Unjust Detention of a Wildfire Fighter by ICE

In the midst of battling the devastating Bear Gulch Fire, which had already consumed nearly 30 square miles in Washington’s Olympic National Forest, Rigoberto Hernandez Hernandez—a dedicated wildland firefighter—was abruptly pulled from duty and detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents. This shocking action during an emergency response sparks critical questions about the true priorities of immigration enforcement agencies and their impact on American communities’ safety.Are We Sacrificing Public Safety on the Altar of Overzealous Immigration Enforcement?Hernandez and his crew were engaged in one of the most dangerous jobs protecting homes and natural resources when immigration agents swooped in under a...