Border Patrol agents arrested firefighters fighting Washington wildfire after they asked the fire crew to line up to check their IDs.

[u/AngronOfTheTwelfth]

What do we all think of this? Seems pretty nuts to me. They are actively getting in the way of wildlands guys as they do their job out there. I dont think this should be allowed or encouraged. Firefighting is a lot more important than .... risking 20 guys dressed exactly like firefighters crossing the Canadian border?

[u/Hugh_mungus_29]

Why isn't there any comments about the private employers that are collecting federal or state money and are taking advantage of these people? Those are the people we should be going after.

[u/ValuesHere → u/Hugh_mungus_29]

That means you'd be talking about the President, his family, his extended family, everyone in the administration, and, you get the drift.

[u/Hugh_mungus_29 → u/ValuesHere]

What does that have to do with the owner of a private company knowingly hiring an illegal immigrant so they can exploit them?

[u/paramagician → u/Hugh_mungus_29]

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about this whole issue. The eVerify system for checking legal work status is trash. A family member runs a home repair/lawn care type of company, and several of his employees were just arrested for illegal immigration status. He ran them all through eVerify upon hire. Same exact situation as that chicken plan in Nebraska:

https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/07/17/omaha-immigration-raids-are-symptom-of-broken-system/

The entire immigration system is completely broken. Many employers and immigrants try to comply with it, but every firefighter knows what trying to comply with nonsense is like. I think instead of indiscriminately rounding up everyone from lawn care workers to wildland firefighters, we should make a system that can actually be followed by people who want to follow it.

[u/No_Zucchini_2200 → u/paramagician]

Intentionally so, because employers like it that way.

We’re all aware. So is the government. Why do you think it has never been fixed?

[u/Coffee-FlavoredSweat → u/paramagician]

Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin accused Old Orchard Beach, Maine, of “reckless reliance” on the E-Verify

https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/nation_world/employers-have-used-e-verify-for-years-ices-arrest-of-a-maine-police-officer-raises/article_5d5a989c-5075-5d57-860c-dc79394ac59e.html

“We put a system in place and legally require you to use it…but holy crap, I can’t believe you believed it! How reckless!”

[u/Hugh_mungus_29 → u/paramagician]

100% correct

[u/Coffee-FlavoredSweat → u/Hugh_mungus_29]

Who says they are?

There was recently a police officer in Maine who was forced to self-deport. The police department wasn’t taking advantage of him. They ran his information through the government’s own databases and they said he was good to go.

If the government itself doesn’t have accurate records on who is, and is not, a US citizen, then it’s not the fault of a private contractor who hired someone based on that faulty information.

Also, “literally arresting firefighters while they fight fire” is bullshit.

[u/TLunchFTW → u/Hugh_mungus_29]

That’s my thing. People go off about the injustice of it, but will be silent when people pay illegals less because they can. Is that not extortion?