The experience of the small Indian unit 'Wolf Shadows', which has been operating for 35 years at the border service, using not only the latest technology and communication tools but also the skills of 'reading the desert' in tracking criminals, has been recognized as positive and deserving broader implementation. Last fall, 'Wolf Shadows', which worked near the Arizona-Mexico border, were reassigned to the immigration service, and today the US authorities are ready to entrust the protection of the Canadian border to a similar structure, being formed on the same national-professional basis. Reuters reported the immigration service's intention to recruit additional Indian forces in the north of the country, specifying that the main target of the trackers would be marijuana dealers.
The special unit, now elite, which includes representatives of eight Indian tribes, was created back in 1972. Initially, it was assumed that the main task of the trackers taken into government service would be to prevent crimes in the reservation of the Tohono O'odham tribe (the Desert People), living on both sides of the US-Mexico border. The epaulets and powers were granted to the Indians rather reluctantly – the reservations have a special status, and the authorities considered it better to turn some Tohono O'odham into border guards rather than argue with the tribal chiefs about how to protect the state border. But 'Wolf Shadows' managed to prove their high effectiveness in the fight against drug dealers and networks transporting illegal migrants, and the agents using the experience of their ancestors began to be spoken of seriously. According to representatives of the Immigration and Customs Service, this unit accounts for about 70% of drugs seized on this section of the border with Mexico. The last successful major operation was carried out in January of this year, when 'Wolf Shadows' tracked down a caravan with 3.5 tons of marijuana.
The US authorities even tried to 'export' the Indian experience – as part of a program to assist law enforcement in newly democratized states, the best agents were sent to Eastern Europe to train customs officers and border guards of Croatia, Macedonia, the Baltic republics, and Poland. It is difficult to say how much the skills of 'reading nature' inherited from their ancestors helped the Indians navigate unfamiliar forests, say, on the Polish-Belarusian border, but the resonance from these assignments was quite impressive – 'Wolf Shadows' made it onto the pages of European newspapers. That is, at the very least, they worked for the prestige of their country.
Now the Indians are offered to work in their homeland, and along the entire US-Canadian border. However, according to ITAR-TASS, the unit faces difficulties in recruiting personnel. Strict requirements are imposed on recruits: they must have served in the army, have a good education, be in excellent physical shape, and have an absolutely clean record. And, naturally, everyone who wants to serve among the 'Wolf Shadows' must not only be an Indian by birth but also possess the skills of their ancestors, be able to read tracks, know animal habits, and navigate any terrain. Unit leader Kevin Carlos notes that this also gives a moral advantage over criminals who do not expect to encounter experienced trackers in the 21st century of high technology. 'They think that the United States, and indeed the entire civilized world, does not use any of the ancient methods,' Carlos is quoted by Reuters. 'But we do. And, by the way, we are proud of it.'