Bennie Thompson: “I rise in support of H.R. 5589. It is long past its time. This is a bill that should have long since been to the floor.…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 5589. It is long past its time. This is a bill that should have long since been to the floor. This legislation transfers the Shadow Wolves from Customs and Border Protection to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and allows the creation of an additional unit. The Shadow Wolves were created by an act of Congress in 1972 to address criminal activity along the U.S.-Mexican border. This group, comprised entirely of American Indians, focused on identifying, tracking and arresting drug smugglers along 76 miles of the U.S-Mexican border. With the aid of the Shadow Wolves, over 800 pounds of illegal narcotics are seized from smugglers on the reservation on an average day. The Shadow Wolves are located in Representative Grijalva's district in the Tohono O'odham Nation of southwest Arizona. Although he was unable to be here today, Madam Speaker, he shared with me the importance of ensuring this bill becomes law. Representative Grijalva has witnessed firsthand the almost 35 years of success the Shadow Wolves have had in the region deterring, tracking and intercepting drug smugglers. Their remarkable record should be continued. Allowing the Shadow Wolves to focus on their investigation functions allows them to better secure our Nation's borders against illegal drugs. In the future, I would like to work with other Members to increase the number of officers within existing units. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.…”