User:Chetsford/sw

The Shadow Wolves is a tactical unit of the United States' Immigration and Customs Enforcement responsible for security of the portion of the Mexico-United States border that intersects the Tohono O'odham Nation. The unit's personnel are recruited exclusively among Native Americans and employ traditional tracking methods in addition to modern technology. The unit was established in 1972.

History
The Shadow Wolves unit was authorized by an act of the United States Congress and activated in 1972 as part of an agreement with the Tohono O'odham Nation permitting the deployment of federal law enforcement personnel on tribal territory for border control purposes with the condition that all such personnel be at least one-quarter Native American. Though initially comprised exclusively of Tohono O'odham nationals, it has since grown to include Oglala Sioux, Kiowa, Navajo, and others. Originally a specialized unit of the United States Customs Service, it was later transferred to the United States Border Patrol before being moved back to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), partial successor to the Customs Service, in 2006.

By the early 2000s, the Shadow Wolves unit was credited with intercepting 100,000 pounds of illicit drugs crossing the border annually. In 2001, approximately one-third of all intercepted drug traffic crossing the border was credited to Shadow Wolves efforts.

From 2008 to 2011 a moratorium was placed on the hiring of new personnel due to concerns exclusive retention of Native Americans violated Equal Employment Opportunity legislation.

In 2014, Shadow Wolves officers participated in training the Polish Border Guard in human tracking techniques.

Lind of duty deaths
Glenn Miles, a Shadow Wolves tactical officer, was shot and killed on solo patrol in 1985 in what remains an unsolved case.

Operations
The Shadow Wolves is responsible for patrol of a largely inhospitable and sparsely populated, 76 mile section of the Mexico-United States border that crosses the territory of the Tohono O'odham Nation.

Shadow Wolves are principally responsible for interdiction of drug and people smugglers; undocumented migrants intercepted by the unit are detained for transfer to the United States Border Patrol.

Training
Shadow Wolves personnel receive initial law enforcement training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. They, thereafter, complete several months of field training with veteran officers to hone their tracking skills.