Gay couple from migrant caravan marry as they arrive in Mexico-US border town
Video of wedding kiss goes viral as Americans ask: is that really what an invading force looks like?
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Your support makes all the difference.They are the advance line of the migrant caravan that Donald Trump has said is attempting an “invasion” of the US.
But, as a 400-strong group of asylum-seeking Central Americans arrived in the Mexican border town of Tijuana on Saturday, they appeared more concerned with love than war.
The splinter caravan – which is made up of dozens of LGBTQ+ people – was in celebratory mood as two of its members, 23-year-old Erick Dubon and Pedro Nehemias, 22, got married.
The couple – originally from Honduras where same-sex unions are banned – tied the knot ahead of applying for asylum in the US.
And the moment they said ‘I do’ – and kissed – went viral after journalist Sarah Kinosian, who has travelled with the caravan, posted it online.
"They totally look like they're about to invade," noted one Twitter wit in response.
The wedding is the latest news from the 5,000-strong caravan which has made its way north across Central America. The group has already trekked hundreds of miles in a bid to escape poverty, violence and discrimination in their home countries and start new lives in the US.
The 400-strong advance group – which is said to include seven LGBTQ+ couples – broke off from the main body upon reaching Mexico City to complete the journey by bus.
“We were discriminated against, even in the caravan,” Erick told the Washington Post. “People wouldn’t let us into trucks, they made us get in the back of the line for showers, they would call us ugly names.”
But if the pair’s wedding marked a high point, the hardest part of their journey may still be ahead. US border authorities have said they are now “hardening” the crossing into San Diego.
The country's Customs and Border Protection said in a statement it will be closing four lanes of the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa border crossings and that US troops have been installing concertina wire, barricades and fencing along the stretch.
It added that asylum seekers will have to stay in Mexico while their application is processed.
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