Letter to the editor: Song of ICE and fire

Letter reprinted from the Brunswick Beacon, 09.11.25

I don’t mean George R.R. Martin’s novels, in which brain-dead ice creatures called White Walkers make war on human beings and fire-breathing dragons burn entire towns to the ground. I’m talking about Trump’s brain-dead ICE creatures (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) who arrested firefighters WHILE they were fighting the largest active wildfire in Washington state, which had already incinerated 9,000 acres and was only 13% contained.

The 350 emergency workers included firefighters from several private contractors. ICE agents pulled 44 firefighters away from the blaze, questioned them for three hours, then arrested two firefighters they suspected of immigration violations. ICE immediately terminated their employers’ contracts and threw out the remaining 42 firefighters, cutting manpower available to fight the fire by 12%.

ICE agents cruelly prevented firefighters from getting a drink. Another firefighter said, “I asked them if his (family) can say goodbye to him because they’re family, and they’re just ripping them away. And this is what he said: ‘You need to get the (expletive) out of here. I’m gonna make you leave.’” A third firefighter said they were told not to take video of the incident. “You risked your life out here to save the community,” the firefighter said. “This is how they treat us.”

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) said, “Here in the Pacific Northwest, wildfires can, and have, burned entire towns to the ground. We count on our brave firefighters, who put their lives on the line, to keep our communities safe — this new Republican policy to detain firefighters on the job is as immoral as it is dangerous.”

It used to be federal policy that ICE agents would not arrest emergency workers trying to save lives at natural disasters for the obviously good reason that people could die if they did. Trump killed that sensible policy because he hates immigrants more than he cares about the people those immigrants risk their lives trying to save.

Bob Bannerman

Supply