Shadow Wolves Improvement Act
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Ciscomani (for himself and Mr. Suozzi) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Shadow Wolves Improvement Act strengthens a specialized law enforcement unit within ICE that operates on tribal lands along the U.S.-Mexico border. The bill requires ICE to formally define the program's mission, assess staffing needs, develop recruitment and retention plans, and establish criteria for expanding to additional tribal lands - all while consulting with tribal governments like the Tohono O'odham Nation.
Who Benefits and How
Current Shadow Wolves tactical officers benefit from clearer career paths - the bill requires ICE to provide them with detailed information about reclassifying as special agents, including how it would affect their pay, overtime, and retirement benefits. The Tohono O'odham Nation and other partnering tribal governments gain a formal consultation role in shaping the program's mission and expansion. Other tribes near federal law enforcement training facilities may see the program expand to their lands.
Who Bears the Burden and How
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security face new administrative requirements - developing staffing assessments, updating strategies with measurable objectives and timelines, creating succession plans, and reporting to Congress on implementation progress. Critically, the bill authorizes no new funding, meaning all these requirements must be fulfilled within existing ICE budgets, potentially requiring tradeoffs with other priorities.
Key Provisions
- Requires ICE Director to formally specify the Shadow Wolves Program's mission and goals in coordination with tribal governments
- Mandates assessment of staffing needs and required agent qualifications
- Updates existing recruitment and retention strategy with measurable objectives, timelines, and milestones
- Requires providing current tactical officers with detailed information to make informed decisions about reclassifying as special agents
- Establishes criteria for selecting additional tribal lands for program expansion, prioritizing locations near federal training facilities
- Requires annual congressional report on implementation progress
- Authorizes no additional funding - must be implemented within existing budgets
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Enhances the Shadow Wolves Program, a specialized ICE law enforcement unit operating on tribal lands, by establishing formal mission and staffing requirements, developing retention and recruitment strategies, and enabling expansion to additional tribal lands.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Formalize and strengthen the Shadow Wolves Program through administrative improvements, staffing assessments, and career pathway enhancements for existing officers, while explicitly limiting fiscal impact by authorizing no new appropriations"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Current Shadow Wolves tactical officers (improved career paths and information for reclassification decisions)
- ICE Homeland Security Investigations (clearer mission, staffing requirements, and expansion criteria)
- Tohono O'odham Nation and other partnering Tribal governments (formal consultation role, potential program expansion to additional tribal lands)
- Border security operations (enhanced law enforcement capacity on tribal lands)
Likely Burden Bearers
- ICE Director and Homeland Security Investigations (new planning, reporting, and coordination requirements within existing budget)
- No significant burden on private sector actors
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_director"
- → Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- "the_director"
- → Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- "relevant_congressional_committees"
- → Senate and House Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives; and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology