Border Patrol Assists BLM At Lake Cushman: 44 Workers Vetted, 2 Arrested For Illegal Entry/Reentry

CBP says Port Angeles Border Patrol agents assisted the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service near Lake Cushman, WA, verifying identities of 44 contract workers after two firms’ contracts were terminated following a BLM criminal probe. Agents found two individuals unlawfully present—one with a prior removal—and arrested them on illegal entry and 8 U.S.C. §1326 reentry charges; the other 42 were released and escorted off federal land. Officials emphasized the action did not disrupt firefighting and highlighted interagency coordination. The incident aligns with a small August cluster of inland enforcement and contractor vetting by USBP.