To reunite a family kept apart, a wedding on a cross-border bridge

The gusting wind and the passersby shouting their congratulations make it difficult to hear the Spanish-language ceremony.

Even on this sunny weekend morning, the Progreso International Bridge is not ideal for a wedding. But for José, the groom – who fled his native Honduras and was granted asylum in the U.S. in November – it is one of the happiest days he’s had in years.

Damaris, his bride, wears a pink satin dress. She holds their daughter, Angelica, a garland of daisies in the little girl’s hair. Today is one of just a handful the family has spent together since José left Honduras in 2017.

Damaris and Angelica are also seeking asylum in America, but for the past four months they’ve been living in Matamoros,