Standing inside the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center, Christina Serrano and her husband exchanged vows in a setting far from what they had envisioned for their wedding day.
“What it counts is like our heart, we were here together at that time,” Christina Serrano said.
The couple married inside the Bakersfield, California, detention facility where Juan Serrano has been held for the past seven months. There were no traditional wedding photos — only a marriage certificate to mark the occasion.
“It was something that we didn’t want to have it this way, but we still ended up doing it because we want to have our love together all the time,” she said.
Juan Serrano, who is originally from Guatemala, was taken into custody in September 2025 after attending what his wife described as a scheduled check-in with immigration authorities. Christina Serrano said he had been living in the United States for about five years after applying for asylum. She said he worked as a welder during that time and completed check-ins with immigration, though she said he may have missed a phone check-in at one point.
“They called him in to come and make his check-in, and that’s when they got him detained,” she said.
The couple had gotten engaged about a year before his detention. Christina Serrano said she initially feared their wedding plans would be derailed until learning it was possible to marry inside the facility.
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Dawn Wilder, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, officiated the ceremony.
“As soon as they asked, I said yes. The biggest challenge was ICE sets the date and time. We had no control over that,” Wilder said.
She added that even immigration attorneys were unaware that such ceremonies could take place inside detention facilities.
The process took about two months, according to Serrano, involving formal requests, document submissions and applications. Once approved, the couple was given an April 15 wedding date.
Christina Serrano said she is now moving forward with filing a formal immigration petition based on their marriage, a step that could potentially help secure her husband’s release.
“He would just want to be able to get released anytime soon and be with his family,” she said.
Despite the circumstances, Serrano said the couple hopes to celebrate again in the future under different conditions.
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“We would love to have it in Las Vegas, and enjoy the time there,” she said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials declined to comment on the specifics of Juan Serrano’s case.
