Congressional Democrats ask U.S. Forest Service for answers on ICE involvement
EVERETT — A dozen congressional Democrats are asking the U.S. Forest Service for answers after the agency was accused of coordinating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest five men who were camping on federal land in Snohomish County last month.
ICE agents allegedly detained the men during a family camping trip in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest on Labor Day weekend, according to reporting from King 5 News.
Family members told King 5 that U.S. Forest Service rangers were the first to contact the group at the Red Bridge Campground off the Mountain Loop Highway, east of Granite Falls. The rangers allegedly collected identification from some of the group before ICE agents arrived hours later to arrest the five men.
Four of the five men are still in ICE detention in Tacoma as of Monday, the lawmakers said.
On Thursday, a group of Democrats, including local representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen and Kim Schrier, sent a letter to the chief of the U.S. Forest Service requesting transparency regarding immigration enforcement activities on land managed by the agency.
“… we are concerned that the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is misusing taxpayer dollars by neglecting their mission and directing career staff to prioritize immigration enforcement on federal public lands,” the letter said in part.
The lawmakers want U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz to confirm what role rangers had in identifying and arresting the five men in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
They’re also asking for details on the agency’s involvement in any other ICE raids since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025. The letter cited the arrest of two wildland firefighters who were detained while battling the Bear Gulch fire in Oregon last August.
The lawmakers want to know where the funding is coming from to support the Forest Service’s participation in immigration enforcement, including if money has been reallocated from the agency’s other priorities.
“Redirecting strained resources away from pressing natural resources, recreation and land management priorities, and towards immigration enforcement undermines the Forest Service’s mission to care for the land and serve people,” the letter from lawmakers said.
The request asks the Forest Service to share any formal agreements it has with the Department of Homeland Security. The lawmakers said they want an answer by Oct. 15.
The Daily Herald asked both the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Homeland Security for comment on the letter. At the time of this publication, we are still waiting to hear back.