José Bertín Cruz-Estrada, a 35-year-old undocumented immigrant and wildland firefighter from Oregon, was arrested by US Border Patrol agents while fighting a wildfire in Washington state on 27 August. He was later deported to Mexico in late October, separated from his family and community.
Cruz-Estrada was part of a 20-person crew responding to the Bear Gulch fire, a 9,000-acre blaze. While waiting for instructions, four unmarked vehicles arrived and armed officers surrounded the firefighters, checking IDs. Cruz-Estrada and another firefighter were handcuffed and driven away from the fire, which was only 13% contained at the time.
The arrest sparked outrage, as natural disasters were long considered off-limits for immigration enforcement. The other detained firefighter, Rigoberto Hernandez Hernandez, was released and returned to Oregon after four weeks. Cruz-Estrada, however, remained in detention for two months before being deported.
Cruz-Estrada, who has lived in Oregon since age 12, says he feels betrayed. He has worked as a firefighter since 2019 and runs a successful landscaping business. He has a 14-year-old son and is beloved in his community, including by the local mayor.
His deportation stems from a 2013 drug-related conviction, where he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine after being accused of acting as a lookout during a drug bust. He received no prison time. Cruz-Estrada maintains he was unfairly targeted and questions why the government would arrest him while he was serving the public.
