This narrative landscape analysis is part of Narrative Initiative’s Timely and Responsive Research offering. The analysis was conducted for the National Partnership for New Americans and other climate migration table partners (e.g., Welcoming America, Just Solutions) with the goal of understanding narrative organizing and storytelling opportunities pertaining to the detention of migrant first responders by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Our team investigated online narratives surrounding two firefighters who were detained on August 27, 2025 while on their worksite fighting the Bear Gulch fire in Washington state. Our research illuminates narratives in two thematic buckets: (1) narratives of identity and worth, and (2) narratives of disempowerment and oppression. These narrative themes are the foundations of storytelling about the character, role, and impact of migrant first responders, immigration enforcement, and abuse of government.