Hundreds of people from Texas and Mexico have reunited with relatives for a few precious minutes on a mostly dry stretch of the Rio Grande.
The El Paso Times reports that people hugged, chatted and yelled greetings in Spanish and English during the 3-minute family reunions between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez on Wednesday. Some carried signs saying "This Border Values Family."
Some of the registered participants in the fleeting riverbed catch-ups said they hadn't seen their relatives for years.
The brief reunions were part of a "Hugs Not Walls" campaign sponsored by the Border Network for Human Rights, an immigration rights group.
Law enforcement personnel were nearby during the peaceful gathering