US Forest Service confirms it works with ICE after camping trip raid
U.S. Forest Service confirms it works with ICE agents
Five men were arrested by federal immigration authorities during a camping trip over Labor Day weekend at the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
GRANITE FALLS, Wash. - Five men were arrested by federal immigration authorities during a camping trip over Labor Day weekend at the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The arrests have raised questions about the role of U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officers in the operation and how federal agencies are working together on public lands.
FOX 13 Seattle is also working to speak directly with the families of the men detained and will continue reporting on their accounts.
What DHS says happened
What they're saying:
According to DHS, ICE arrested the five men on Sept. 5 during a joint operation with the U.S. Forest Service in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
DHS said Sebastian Zurita-Villanueva and Bernardino Ramos-Villanueva had entered the country illegally at unknown times and locations. The agency said Faustino Carmona-Gijon was previously encountered by Border Patrol in California in 2004 after illegally entering the country and was voluntarily returned to Mexico before later reentering the U.S.
DHS said Alvaro Robles-Villanueva was also previously encountered by Border Patrol in California in 2014, voluntarily returned to Mexico and later reentered the country.
The agency said Rolando Robles-Villanueva was previously encountered by Border Patrol in Arizona in 2010 and voluntarily returned to Mexico. DHS also said Washington State Patrol arrested him in 2021 on allegations of driving without a license, negligent driving and making a false statement.
Forest Service says it works with agencies that enforce immigration law
Dig deeper:
The U.S. Forest Service confirmed to FOX 13 Seattle that its Law Enforcement and Investigations division routinely works with other federal, state, Tribal and local agencies.
The Forest Service provided FOX 13 Seattle with the following statement in full:
"The U.S. Forest Service’s Law Enforcement and Investigation division routinely works with federal, state, Tribal, and local agencies to enforce laws and ensure public safety on national forest system lands.
Although Forest Service law enforcement officers and criminal investigators do not enforce immigration law, they collaborate with agencies that do,
These partnerships may involve checkpoints, patrols, or targeted enforcement efforts in areas where public safety and federal land management responsibilities intersect."
The Forest Service statement does not specifically explain what role its officers played in the Sept. 5 arrests or how the five men were identified for immigration enforcement.
Family members describe overnight arrests
Family members told FOX 13 Seattle that a Forest Service ranger came to the campsite around midnight with ICE agents.
They said the agents were "shaking tents and screaming" after identification documents had been photographed earlier in the day.
One America raises questions about showing identification
Roxana Norouzi, executive director of One America, a statewide immigrant power-building organization, said the incident raises broader concerns about how immigration enforcement could affect people using public lands.
Norouzi was asked whether people could eventually have to show immigration documents simply to camp.
"Are we all going to have to show passports to pitch a tent," Norouzi said.
Norouzi also questioned whether the collaboration between the Forest Service and immigration authorities was clearly disclosed to the families involved.
"That collaboration between the National Forest Department and ICE, and that not being a clear disclosure to the public, is where the deceit and the lack of trust in government comes in," Norouzi said.
One America says it is concerned that information collected during routine interactions on public lands could potentially be used for immigration enforcement.
"What is next? What are they going to go after next? They're accessing our information from the Department of Licensing," said Norouzi. "They're reading our license plate. In a lot of ways, we're already being surveilled, and now we can't even go camping without turning over our IDs and not knowing where that information is going."
FOX 13 Seattle has asked the Forest Service about the specific circumstances surrounding the collection and sharing of identification information in this case. These questions have not been addresses as of this publication.
Trump administration says immigration enforcement is a priority
The other side:
The arrests come after the Trump administration emphasized immigration enforcement days after taking office in 2025.
At the time President Donald Trump said:
"We're tracking down the illegal alien criminals. We're detaining them, and we are throwing them the hell out of our country."
Former acting ICE Director and Border Szar, Tom Homan described the administration's enforcement approach, saying, "Anybody in the country illegally, they're on the table, but we're going to go after them in a prioritization that makes sense. The worst first."
"Unbelievable. Donald Trump ran his campaign on targeting ‘the worst of the worst’. Instead, families camping peacefully are being broken up and taken in the middle of the night," wrote Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on X.
Questions remain about what information is shared
One of the unresolved questions is what information, if any, the Forest Service provided to ICE as part of the operation.
The Forest Service has confirmed that its law enforcement division collaborates with agencies that enforce immigration law and that those partnerships can include patrols and targeted enforcement efforts.
However, the agency has not directly answered FOX 13's questions about whether identification information collected from the families at the campsite was shared with ICE, how the five men were identified or whether information connected to campground reservations is shared with immigration authorities.
Norouzi also raised broader concerns about possible information-sharing involving airports and federal immigration agencies. She told FOX 13 Seattle the organization has heard reports of TSA, ICE and Customs and Border Protection all sharing information.
FOX 13 Seattle has not independently confirmed campground reservation information is routinely shared with ICE.
The five men remain in ICE custody at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, pending removal proceedings, according to DHS.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Alejandra Guzman.