Shadow Wolves

The "Shadow Wolves" is an elite unit of Native American trackers. The law enforcement unit is part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Shadow Wolves's primary task is tracking smugglers through a 76-mile stretch of the Tohono O'odham nation territory that runs along the United States-Mexico border in the state of Arizona. [http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2003/january/wolves.php "Shadow Wolves,"] "Smithsonian Magazine," January 2003, Retrieved March 12, 2007.]

History

This special law enforcement unit was created in 1972 by an Act of Congress, after the U.S. federal government agreed to the Tohono O'odham Nation's demand that the officers have at least one fourth Native American ancestry. The Shadow Wolves became the first federal law enforcement agents allowed to operate on Tohono land.

The unit is congressionally authorized to have as many as 21 members but, as of March, 2007, it consisted of only 15 members. [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/washington/07wolves.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin "In Arizona Desert, Indian Trackers vs. Smugglers,"] "The New York Times", March 7, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2007.] Members of the unit come from seven tribes, including the Tohono O'odham, Navajo, Sioux, Lakota, Yurok, Blackfeet, Omaha, and Yaqui.

In 2003, the Shadow Wolves became part of the Department of Homeland Security when ICE was merged into Homeland Security. ICE officials are also considering creating a sister unit of the Shadow Wolves to patrol the Blackfeet reservation in Montana, on the U.S. border with Canada.

Global training missions

In addition to tracking smugglers on the U.S. border, the Shadow Wolves have also been asked to train border guards and customs agents around the world tracking smugglers, in nations including Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Estonia, Kazakstan, and Uzbekistan. [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21364526-2703,00.html "Native American trackers to hunt bin Laden,"] "The Australian", March 12, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2007.] [http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/10/1a6c5d01-2136-4760-99f6-0a9fecb841bc.html "Moldova: Native American 'Shadow Wolves' Helping Train Moldovan Guards To Protect Borders,"] "Radio Free Europe", October 5, 2004. Retrieved March 14, 2007.] The unit is also being used in the effort to hunt terrorists along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan by training regional border guards in Native American ancestral sign-reading methods . [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258335,00.html "Report: Native American Trackers to Hunt Terrorists at Afghan Border,"] "Foxnews.com", March 12, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2007.]

References

External links

* [http://www.shadow-wolves.org/ Shadow-Wolves: Unofficial Tribute Site]