Lawyers are demanding the release of a longtime Oregon resident arrested by Border Patrol while battling a Washington State wildfire, saying Friday he was already on track for legal status after he helped federal investigators solve a crime against his family.
The Oregon resident is one of two firefighters arrested this week while battling the Bear Gulch Fire, the biggest blaze on the Olympic Peninsula since 1951. His arrest was illegal, the lawyers argued, and violated Department of Homeland Security polices that say immigration enforcement must not be conducted at locations where emergency responses are happening.
