Ciscomani Introduces Bill To Strengthen Elite Shadow Wolves Border Unit

Ciscomani Introduces Bill To Strengthen Elite Shadow Wolves Border Unit

by | Dec 22, 2025 | News

By Ethan Faverino |

U.S. Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY) introduced the Shadow Wolves Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation to enhance one of the nation’s most effective and unique border security programs, the Shadow Wolves

The Shadow Wolves are an elite, all Native-American unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactical agents who specialize in tracking and interdicting drug smuggling and human trafficking across tribal lands along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Operating primarily on the Tohono O’odham Nation in Arizona since the 1970s, the unit’s members use ancestral tracking techniques combined with modern law enforcement training to patrol some of the most remote and challenging terrain on the southern border.

“For decades, the Shadow Wolves have played an essential role in supporting border security and strengthening relationships between DHS and tribal communities,” said Congressman Ciscomani. “Arizona has led the way on this program since the beginning, and this bill helps ensure the Shadow Wolves can continue their mission for years to come.”

A 2024 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlighted chronic staffing shortages within the program due to retirements and recruiting challenges under the current “expected service” hiring structure. The Shadow Wolves Improvement Act directly addresses these issues by authorizing ICE to convert Shadow Wolves positions to the “competitive service,” a change recommended by both GAO and ICE leadership.

This reform will open broader recruitment pools, improve retention through enhanced benefits and promotion opportunities, and enable expansion of the program to additional border-adjacent tribal nations experiencing high levels of illicit cross-border activity.

The legislation has gotten strong support from tribal leaders and Native American law enforcement organizations:

  • Jaime Azure, Chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, said, “Public Safety, particularly drug and human trafficking, continues to plague Indian Country. These issues are uniquely difficult for tribal communities, like the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, who are located along the U.S. northern border. The Shadow Wolves Improvement Act is an additional tool within the law enforcement toolbox that will help. The Tribe appreciates U.S. Representatives Juan Ciscomani and Tom Suozzi for introducing this important legislation and urges its swift passage in the House of Representatives.”
  • Gary Edwards, Chief Executive Officer of the National Native American Law Enforcement Association, said, “The National Native American Law Enforcement Association (NNALEA) strongly supports the Shadow Wolves Improvement Act. Native Americans play a key role in protecting the U.S. borders and National Security. This bill is a positive step forward in giving Indian Country Law Enforcement the recognition and support they deserve.” 
  • Verlon Jose, Chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation, said, “The Shadow Wolves, an all-Native American tracking and investigative unit, have decades of experience protecting the Tohono O’odham Nation and our border.  Their unique skill set and deep knowledge of the land are invaluable to law enforcement efforts to interdict drugs and human smuggling on our reservation.  The Tohono O’odham Nation strongly supports the Shadow Wolves Improvement Act, which will improve retention and recruitment of Shadow Wolves agents, and support the Nation’s vital role in protecting our land.”

A companion bill in the Senate (S.572), led by Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), has already advanced through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee with strong bipartisan backing.

“Working in a bipartisan way, we’re giving ICE the tools it needs to hire and retain these highly specialized agents, expand the program to additional tribal lands, and bolster efforts to combat drug trafficking along our southern border. This is common-sense legislation that strengthens security and honors the history and contributions of the Shadow Wolves,” concluded Ciscomani.

Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.

Tohono O’odham Nation Tactical Officers Becomes Federal Special Agents

Tohono O’odham Nation Tactical Officers Becomes Federal Special Agents

by | Apr 24, 2022 | News

By Terri Jo Neff |

A small but elite unit of tactical officers known as the “Shadow Wolves” working out of the Tohono O’odham Nation will continue to patrol a 76-mile stretch of shared border with Mexico, but now they will do so as special agents of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).  

The Shadow Wolves unit was created by Congress 50 years ago to track border area drug smugglers on Native American lands, utilizing modern “high-tech” equipment but mostly relying on members’ training in traditional tracking methods, particularly locating and analyzing physical signs.

The units efforts have been focused on patrolling the lands of the Tohono O’odham Nation, which encompass 4,400-square miles in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties. But on April 19, the Shadow Wolves Enhancement Act was signed into federal law to reclassify the tactical officers, giving them additional authority to investigate, interdict, and disrupt criminal activity as HSI special agents.

HSI falls under the direction of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As such, it is responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically criminal organizations which exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move.

Reclassifying the Shadow Wolves preserves the unit’s historic legacy while broadening the authority of its members to further U.S. national security missions, according to ICE Acting Director Tae D. Johnson.

“The Shadow Wolves Enhancement Act will dramatically increase agency effectiveness in targeting and disrupting human and drug smugglers throughout the rugged terrain of the Sonoran Desert and across tribal lands,” Johnson said.  

Scott Brown, the special agent in charge of HSI-Phoenix with responsibility for the entire state called the Shadow Wolves “an unparalleled law enforcement unit.” HSI will develop a strategy to expand the Shadow Wolves program and recruit new members, Brown said.

“It is with tremendous pleasure and pride that I will be welcoming the Shadow Wolves as HSI special agents,” Brown said. “After nearly 50 years since their establishment, their experience and impressive history, it is paramount we give this team the tools needed to grow as law enforcement officers.”