Liberals are now calling for a boycott of firefighters in West Virginia, claiming that they assisted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in detaining eight men who were in the United States illegally, making calls for the department to be defunded, despite the critical services they provide to the local community. The fire department was called in to help authorities get the men down from a roof located in Hurricane.
A news release put out by the State Police said that troopers and ICE officers conducted a traffic stop of a red 2024 Ford F-250 near Sleepy Hollow Drive and Oakmont Drive for equipment violations. Troopers then stated that the driver was identified as Miguel Angel Alvarado Molina, hailing from Honduras. “Mr. Molina is a native of Honduras and was determined to be unlawfully present in the United States with a final order of removal as a fugitive,” Captain L.T. Goldie, Jr. explained.
An investigation then led authorities to a work site at a home in Hurricane, where seven individuals were seen working on the roof. ICE officers then made contact with the homeowner, who granted them permission to enter the home, Goldie said. Photos were taken of officers using a ladder truck from the Teays Valley Fire Department to reach the men on the roof. The pictures went viral on social media.
According to a report from WCHS-TV, Goldie then said, “An ICE officer climbed a ladder to speak to the individuals on the roof. One of the individuals grabbed a nail gun, so the ICE officer descended the ladder.” Teays Valley Fire Chief Cody Smoot put out a statement saying, “On Friday, January 9, 2026, at 1:42 p.m., Teays Valley Fire was dispatched to assist state law enforcement working within its service district for safety purposes.”
Not long after additional units arrived on the scene, Goldie explained that the individuals climbed down from the roof and were immediately taken into custody without further incident. All eight of them were then detained by ICE for being in the United States without legal permission. It was soon revealed that the photos of the incident posted on Facebook were receiving comments threatening the lives of those working at the fire department and their families.
“These brave men and women were called in by the West Virginia State Police to assist in getting people safely off a roof. They were not told this was connected to an ICE operation,” Del. Kathie Hess Crouse said. “They showed up for one reason only: to do their jobs and keep people safe.” She then said that some angry liberals were demanding the department be defunded.
“Let me be absolutely clear and leave no room for doubt: that will NOT happen. I will not allow funding to be pulled from the Teays Valley Fire Department,” she went on to say. “Our firefighters are not politicians. They are not law enforcement. They are public servants who respond when called, in emergencies, without hesitation and without all the details. They save lives. They protect our communities. They run toward danger when the rest of us run away from it.”
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Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video