Couple has 3-minute wedding at U.S.-Mexico border. Then they part ways, again

Brian Houston and Evelia Reyes each brought their own rings to their wedding at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The wedding took place Saturday, when a metal gate — known as the “Door of Hope” — along the border between San Diego and Tijuana opened up for about an hour. The Washington Post reports that loved ones separated by the border were given three minutes each for a brief reunion, in an initiative organized by non-profit organization Border Angels.

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There were 11 reunions of family members. Then there was a wedding.

Reyes appeared on the Mexican side of the border in a white wedding gown, and Houston on the American side, in a grey suit. They each brought their own wedding rings, because items can’t be exchanged at the border.

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“She is Mexican and I am American. I can’t go there and she can’t come here,” Houston explained. “That is the only way we can see each other in person. Hopefully very soon she can get a visa to come here and we can be together again.”

Houston said he wasn’t able to visit Mexico, but declined to explain the reason.

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The couple met, exchanged wedding vows, and signed documents. Their three minutes were then over.

The gate was open for about one hour, and only opens about once a year. But the gate is located in Friendship Park, which opens for a few hours each weekend, allowing loved ones to see each other through the fence’s holes.

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Border Angel’s executive director, Enrique Morones, told the LA Times that opening up the borders briefly sends an important message.

“It’s a statement that love has no borders. Even though we are divided by a giant fence here, we can still love each other on both sides of the fence.”

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The marriage and the reunions took place under the shadow of U.S. President Donald Trump’s promise that the two countries will be further separated by a border wall. Trump has also promised to make immigration more difficult.

It’s unclear when the newlyweds, who continue to live in separate countries, will be reunited permanently.

— With files from Reuters