An elite unit of Native American trackers in Arizona known as the Shadow Wolves would be classified as special agents by the federal government under a bill in consideration by the U.S. House and Senate.
The Shadow Wolves are comprised of members of the Tohono O’odham Nation and patrol the 76-mile stretch of land the tribe shares with Mexico.
They are known for their ability to track drug smugglers and work with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
The bill reclassifies them from tactical officers to special agents, allowing the unit to better investigate and track cross-border criminal activity, as well as the ability to expand the Shadow Wolves program to other parts of the border.
The legislation was introduced by Arizona Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema and was passed by earlier this month by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. It was also passed unanimously by the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security.