Representative Emily Randall (WA-06) Friday introduced legislation to permanently protect emergency responders and disaster relief operations from immigration enforcement, following Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) arrest of two crew members who were actively battling the Bear Gulch wildfire on the Olympic Peninsula.
The Emergency Responder Protection Act would codify Biden-era Department of Homeland Security policy that prohibits immigration enforcement at disaster response locations, ensuring that first responders can focus on saving lives without fear of detention or deportation.
“The arrest of crewmembers risking their lives to protect our communities was not just wrong — it was dangerous,” said Rep. Randall. “My legislation will ensure that emergency responders can do their jobs without looking over their shoulders for immigration agents. When disaster strikes, our priority must be community safety, not advancing political agendas.”
The bill would prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), CBP, and other federal agencies from conducting immigration enforcement at active disaster and emergency response locations, evacuation routes, emergency shelters and supply distribution sites, disaster assistance registration sites, and family reunification centers.
Last month, Rep. Randall led 49 congressional colleagues in a letter demanding answers from federal agencies after CBP agents detained firefighters battling what was at the time Washington’s largest active wildfire. During a three-hour operation, 44 crewmembers were forced to show identification while battling the over 9,000-acre blaze. The fire has since grown to nearly 20,000 acres.
The incident violated existing 2021 DHS guidance that restricts immigration enforcement at disaster response locations, highlighting the need for stronger, permanent protections with the force of law.
“This legislation ensures that no matter who is in the White House, emergency responders will be protected from enforcement actions that put entire communities at risk,” Randall said.
“Our firefighters, paramedics, and emergency personnel run toward danger when others run away,” Randall concluded. “They deserve our protection, not our persecution.”
The full text of the bill can be viewed here.
Representatives Sylvia Garcia, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Robin Kelly, Suzan Delbene, Gil Cisneros, Rashida Tlaib, Jared Huffman, Zoe Lofgren, and Robert Garcia joined as original cosponsors of the legislation.