Madam Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 5589. This bill directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to transfer all functions of the Customs Patrol Officers unit operating on the Tohono Oodham Indian reservation to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Shadow Wolves are a specialized allNative American unit of the legacy U.S. Customs Service within the Tohono Oodham Indian nation. and they have patrolled 76 miles of the U.S./Mexico land border in southern Arizona for over 30 years. Their methods of capturing narcotics smugglers combine modem technology and ancient tracking techniques. which have proven to be highly successful. However. the Shadow Wolves units direction was compromised when it was absorbed into the Customs Border Patrol. and its unique identity was threatened. Not only was this action harmful to the security benefits from the Shadow Wolves connection with the community and the respect of its cultural makeup. it significantly lowered morale within the unit. This bill would seek to resolve this issue by returning the Shadow Wolves to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It also includes provisions that would set the Shadow Wolves pay scale at the same rate as ICE Special Agents and grant the Chief Officer a rank equivalent to a resident agentincharge of the ICE Office of Investigations. This would not only significantly improve moral within the unit but increase the efficiency of the border security within that region. Thus I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill to help continue to protect the security of our borders.
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border security Border Patrol Immigration