Shadow Wolves facts for kids

The "Shadow Wolves" are a special team of Native American trackers. This law enforcement group is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Their main job is to track down people who are smuggling things. They work along a 76-mile (122 km) part of the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona. This area is on the land of the Tohono O'odham Nation.

How the Shadow Wolves Started

The "Shadow Wolves" team was created in 1972. This happened after the U.S. Congress passed a special law. The U.S. government agreed to a request from the Tohono O'odham Nation. They asked that the officers on the team be at least one-fourth Native American.

The Shadow Wolves were the first federal law enforcement agents. They were allowed to work on Tohono land. This was a big step for Native American involvement in federal law enforcement.

The law allows for up to 21 members in the unit. However, in March 2007, there were only 15 members. These officers come from nine different Native American tribes. Some of these tribes include the Tohono O'odham, Blackfeet, Lakota, Navajo, Omaha, Sioux, and Yaqui.

In 2003, the Shadow Wolves became part of the Department of Homeland Security. This happened when ICE joined Homeland Security. Officials are also thinking about creating another Shadow Wolves team. This new team would patrol the Blackfeet reservation in Montana. This area is along the U.S. border with Canada.

What the Shadow Wolves Do

The Shadow Wolves are a special tactical patrol unit. They are part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Their base is on the Tohono O'odham Nation in southern Arizona. These officers are famous for their amazing ability to track people. They track those who try to smuggle illegal items across the border.

The unit has a long and respected history of tracking skills. These skills have been passed down through many generations. The name "Shadow Wolves" describes how the unit works. They hunt and track together, much like a pack of wolves.

Even with modern high-tech gear, the Shadow Wolves mostly use old-fashioned tracking methods. Their main technique is called "cutting for sign." "Cutting" means looking for and studying "sign." This "sign" is any physical clue left behind. It can be footprints, tire tracks, pieces of thread, or clothing. Officers might spend many hours or even days tracking in the desert. They follow these "signs" until they catch the smugglers. Or they find out the illegal goods have been moved by vehicle.

Interesting Facts About the Shadow Wolves

• The Shadow Wolves are very careful in their tracking. This helps them find and catch smugglers. They work in tough desert and mountain areas in the Southwestern U.S. Sometimes, the only clues are a tiny overturned rock or a faint mark in the sand.
• They are the only Native American tracking unit in the Department of Homeland Security. This makes them very unique.
• The Tohono O'odham Nation is huge, covering 2,800,000 acres (11,000 km²). It has many small villages. The Shadow Wolves patrol this large area.
• The unit has 15 Native American Patrol Officers. They come from nine different tribes. These include Tohono O'odham, Navajo, Kiowa, Sioux, Blackfeet, Yurok, Omaha, Yaqui, and Pima. They use old tracking skills with new law enforcement tools. They enforce laws on the 76-mile (122 km) border shared with Mexico.
• In 2006, the unit moved back to ICE from Border Patrol. They now help with ICE investigations and operations.
• In 2007, the Shadow Wolves stopped less than 20% of illegal goods. These goods were coming from Mexico through their territory.

Training Missions Around the World

The Shadow Wolves do more than just track smugglers on the U.S. border. They have also been asked to train others. They teach border guards and customs agents in other countries. They have trained people in places like Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Estonia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

The unit also helped in the hunt for terrorists. They trained border guards along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They taught them Native American tracking methods.

Shadow Wolves in Movies and Books

The Shadow Wolves have appeared in many forms of popular culture.

• A movie about the Shadow Wolves started filming in Arizona in 2009. It was called Call of the Shadow Wolves. The film showed how the Shadow Wolves protect U.S. borders. Director Brian Kosisky said the movie was a chance to show Native Americans as heroes.
• A documentary film, Shadow Wolves: Tracking of a Documentary, was also made. It was directed by Jack Kohler. This film showed the group of Native Americans from different tribes.
• The Shadow Wolves were featured on the National Geographic Channel show Border Wars. They appeared in an episode called "Walk the Line."
• A television movie called Shadow Wolves aired in 2019.
• In the 2020 film Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Robotnik says he learned tracking skills from the Shadow Wolves.
• The main character in the 2017 Steven Seagal novel, The Way of the Shadow Wolves, is a member of the Shadow Wolves.