WASHINGTON – Sens. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., this week reintroduced the Shadow Wolves Improvement Act – bipartisan legislation to provide additional career mobility opportunities to Shadow Wolves law enforcement officers and expand the program to the northern border.

Shadow Wolves are a tactical patrol unit within the Department of Homeland Security composed of members from various Native American tribes. The unit patrols the 76-mile stretch of land that the Tohono O’odham Nation shares with Mexico and is known for its ability to track drug traffickers, according to a news release from Hoeven’s office.

In 2022, Hoeven, along with then Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., introduced and successfully passed legislation classifying the Shadow Wolves unit as special agents, allowing them to better patrol, investigate, interdict and secure the southern border, while requiring a plan to expand the program to other parts of the United States, including the northern border. The bill introduced this week builds on these efforts by affording Shadow Wolves the same career opportunities as other special agents and strengthening recruitment efforts.

“The Shadow Wolves have been an important and effective initiative for combatting drug trafficking in Indian Country. Securing the border must be a top priority, and it makes sense to build upon and expand this program to the northern border as part of our broader work to get control of our nation’s borders,” Hoeven said in the release. “That means empowering border security professionals, like the Shadow Wolves, to enforce the law and giving them the tools and resources needed to stop traffickers from smuggling drugs and people into the U.S.”

“Public Safety, particularly drug and human trafficking, continue to be a priority for Indian Country,” said Jamie Azure, chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. “These issues are uniquely difficult for tribal communities, like the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, who are located along the U.S. border. The Shadow Wolves Improvement Act is an additional tool within the law enforcement toolbox that will help.”