Border wall fencing with concertina wire attached in Douglas, Ariz. January 2021.
Members of the Tohono O’odham Nation who patrol tribal lands for drug smuggling may soon see new career opportunities.
Shadow Wolves patrol the 76-mile land stretch shared between the Tohono O’odham Nation and Mexico.
“The Shadow Wolves are an elite, all-Native American tracking and investigative unit with decades of experience, who use both technology and traditional tracking methods to interdict human and drug smuggling on the Tohono O’odham reservation,” Chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation Verlon Jose said.
“The Tohono O’odham Nation strongly supports the Shadow Wolves Improvement Act, which will further enhance the effectiveness of the Shadow Wolves program by improving retention and recruitment and expanding the program.”
Senators Mark Kelly and Krysten Sinema introduced new legislation that will allow for better career growth for those in the field. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would convert those who showed three years of satisfactory work from excepted to competitive service, allowing for better compensation and career mobility.
“Public Safety, particularly drug and human trafficking, continue to be a priority for Indian Country,” Jamie Azure, Chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, said. ”These issues are uniquely difficult for tribal communities, like the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, who are located along the U.S. border. The Shadow Wolves Improvement Act is an additional tool within the law enforcement toolbox that will help.”
In 2022 with bipartisan support, shadow wolves were reclassified as special agents instead of tactical officers. If this bill passes, these agents will see career mobility similar to Homeland Security Investigation Agents.
The legislation would also allow for the Shadow Wolves program to be expanded.
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