S. 572 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Feb 13, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryShadow Wolves employment and expansion upgrades
This bill makes changes to how the Shadow Wolves, a U.S. border patrol unit operating on Tohono O'odham Nation lands in Arizona, handles employment and growth. It allows certain agents in the program to move into a different type of federal job classification that requires passing exams and following standard hiring rules. The bill also requires the agency to work with tribal partners to clarify the program's goals, plan for expansion, figure out what skills and staffing it needs, and develop a plan for when agents retire.
How it affects you
This primarily affects agents currently working in the Shadow Wolves program and potentially people who may join it in the future. For existing officers in the unit, the bill requires the agency to give them information about switching to the special agent job classification. Tribal nations that partner with the program, especially the Tohono O'odham Nation, are involved in the decision-making about the program's mission and where it might expand to other tribal lands.
Read the official summary (Reported to Senate, Nov 3, 2025)
Shadow Wolves Improvement Act
This bill allows for the revision of the federal employment classification of the Shadow Wolves, a tactical patrol unit in Homeland Security Investigations currently operating on the lands of the Tohono O'odham Nation in Arizona on the U.S.-Mexico border, and establishes other requirements related to the expansion of the Shadow Wolves program.
Specifically, the bill allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to noncompetitively convert certain special agents serving in the Shadow Wolves program from the excepted service to the competitive service. Competitive service positions in the federal government are subject to examinations and a statutorily defined hiring process. These agents must have served in the unit for three years to qualify for the conversion regardless of the location assigned.
In coordination with appropriate representatives of partnering tribal governments, including the Tohono O'odham Nation, ICE must (1) specify the mission and goals of the Shadow Wolves program, and (2) update the strategy for the expansion of the program.
Additionally, ICE must (1) determine national staffing needs and required skills for the program, (2) provide current Shadow Wolves classified as officers written information about reclassifying as special agents, (3) develop a succession plan for anticipated retirements among agents in the program, and (4) develop criteria for evaluating and selecting additional tribal lands on which additional Shadow Wolves units may be located.
ICE must report to specified congressional committees regarding the implementation of this bill.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 572
A BILL
Shadow Wolves Improvement Act
Sponsor: Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) · Introduced Feb 13, 2025 · Immigration · 2 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Nov 3, 2025: “Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 251.”
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 2 official versions.