Five men were arrested by US immigration authorities during a family camping trip in Washington state, after the US Forest Service confirmed it works with agencies enforcing immigration law on public land.
The arrests took place on 5 September at the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The operation has prompted questions about the role of Forest Service officers and whether information collected at the campsite was passed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
DHS said ICE detained Sebastian Zurita-Villanueva, Bernardino Ramos-Villanueva, Faustino Carmona-Gijon, Alvaro Robles-Villanueva and Rolando Robles-Villanueva during what it described as a joint operation with the Forest Service.
The agency alleges that the five men had entered or re-entered the United States unlawfully. It said four had previously been encountered by Border Patrol in California or Arizona and voluntarily returned to Mexico before later coming back to the US.
DHS also said Mr Robles-Villanueva had been arrested by Washington State Patrol in 2021 over allegations including driving without a licence, negligent driving and making a false statement.
Forest Service confirms cooperation with ICE
The Forest Service said its Law Enforcement and Investigations division routinely works with federal, state, tribal and local agencies to enforce laws and protect public safety on national forest land.
Although its officers and criminal investigators do not enforce immigration law, the agency said they collaborate with departments that do. Such cooperation can include patrols, checkpoints and targeted enforcement activity, it said.
However, the Forest Service has not explained what part its officers played in the arrests, how the men were identified or whether information taken from the camping group was shared with ICE.
Family members told local television station FOX 13 Seattle that a Forest Service ranger arrived at the campsite with ICE agents shortly before midnight. They alleged that the agents photographed identification documents earlier in the day before waking people by shaking tents and shouting.
The families had been camping together at the Red Bridge campground, according to separate local reporting. Relatives said the five detained men were fathers, leaving several households without their main wage earners.
The Forest Service has been asked whether officers photographed the documents and what happened to any information collected. The agency had not provided a specific response by the time of publication.
Concerns over identity checks at campsites
Roxana Norouzi, executive director of the immigrant advocacy organisation One America, said the incident raised concerns about whether people would feel safe using public land if routine contact with rangers could lead to immigration enforcement.
“Are we all going to have to show passports to pitch a tent?” she said.
Ms Norouzi also questioned whether the families had been told that the Forest Service could work with immigration authorities. She said uncertainty over the collection and use of identification details risked undermining trust in government.
There is no independent confirmation that campground reservation records are routinely shared with ICE. The Forest Service has also not said whether such records played any role in the arrests.
The detentions come as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to make immigration enforcement a central priority. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson criticised the operation, saying on social media that families camping peacefully had been separated and taken into custody during the night.
The five men remain in ICE custody at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma while removal proceedings continue, according to DHS. The agency said they would receive due process.
