‘We’re going to keep doing it until it’s fixed or I’m dead’
Dressed in camouflage gear and wielding heavy machine guns, these men look like they are off to war.
But while the pictures appear to show this band of brothers patrolling a conflict zone, they are actually guarding the border between the US and Mexico.
The ‘watchmen’ of The Arizona Border Recon – led by the group’s chief ‘Nailer’ – protect the border near the Mexican town of Nogales, with three goals; stop illegal immigration, stop drug smuggling, and stop human trafficking.
The striking photographs were taken by Johnny Milano for his project The Hills of Pima, capturing the men’s 24-hour operation which sees them monitor the border, watch carefully for immigrants and stop cross-country criminals in their tracks.
They look like soldiers – and some of them are veterans – but many are or were private security experts, Mr Milano told Feature Shoot.
This means that they do not necessarily have the power to stop people attempting to make into the U.S., but this does not stop them from taking action.
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