Next 100 Opposes Immigration Enforcement by Forest Service Ranger, Warns Will Widen Nature Gap For Many Communities
Next 100 stands vehemently against recent ICE detainment of five people during a family camping trip in Mount
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Next 100 stands vehemently against recent ICE detainment of five people during a family camping trip in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, September 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Next 100 Coalition stands vehemently against the recent incident in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, by which a Forest Service ranger notified Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), leading to the detainment of five people during a family camping trip.
“ICE has no place on our public lands. Encounters with public land rangers should never lead to the separation of families.” said Chela Garcia Irlando, Executive Director of the Next 100 Coalition.” It is appalling that an unverified complaint about garbage led to a park ranger informing ICE, a midnight raid on a campsite, and the separation of five family members from their spouses and children.”
Public lands are public because they are for the benefit and enjoyment of everyone. They exist to offer community, connection to nature, and recreation for all people, regardless of background or immigration status. Incidents like this further erode trust in communities, especially communities of color who have long been over-policed in our national parks, forests, and public lands.
The responsibility of public land managers is to care for parks and national forests, and to serve the public, not to serve as an extension of U.S. immigration enforcement. This overreach by a Forest Service Ranger creates distrust and has the potential to further widen the nature gap that exists for many immigrant families and communities of color who feel unwelcome, unsafe, and already lack access to public lands.
According to a recent study by Justice Outside and the Center for American Progress, communities of color are three times more likely to live in nature-deprived areas than white communities. 54 percent of Latinos in the US live in nature-deprived areas.
Our nation’s public lands must remain accessible to all without the threat of surveillance, over-policing, or immigration detentions. Turning public lands into immigration enforcement zones effectively excludes entire communities from places meant to be enjoyed by everyone.
Karyn Bigelow
Next 100 Coalition
+1 202-288-5740
kbigelow@next100coalition.org
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