ICE Shadow Wolves
FACT SHEET
June 1, 2007
The Shadow Wolves comprise a U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactical patrol unit based on the Native American Tohono O’odham Nation in southern Arizona. Shadow Wolf officers are known for their ability to track alien and drug smugglers as they attempt to smuggle their illegal commodities across the border. The unit boasts an esteemed history of tracking passed down from generation to generation. The name "Shadow Wolves" refers to the way the unit hunts, like a wolf pack. When one wolf finds prey, it calls in the rest of the wolf pack.
https://www.ice.gov/factsheets/shadow-wolvesDespite possession of high-tech equipment, the unit relies mainly on traditional methods of tracking, primarily a technique called "cutting for sign." "Cutting" is searching for and analyzing "sign," which includes any kind of physical evidence (footprints, tire tracks, thread, clothing, etc). Officers may spend hours or days tracking in the field following a "sign" until arrests and seizures are made, or it has been determined that the contraband has been loaded into a vehicle and transported from the area.
