⁍ John and Laura Hunter have set up water stations for people illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, saving them from fatal heat in the Anza-Borrego desert in California.

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⁍ John, 65, is a Republican who founded the nonprofit group Water Stations 21 years ago when a record number of migrants were dying of dehydration and heat exhaustion.

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⁍ The marriage has been tested more than ever since Donald Trump won the 2016 U.S. election campaigning against illegal immigration.

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– John Hunter was born in the US, but “if I was one of them,” he says, “I’d be coming north, too.” Hunter, 65, is a Republican who founded the nonprofit group Water Stations 21 years ago when a record number of migrants were dying of dehydration and heat exhaustion in the Anza-Borrego desert in California, Reuters reports. “I was born here. I was lucky to be born here in the States where we had great freedom, great opportunities,” Hunter says. “But the guys down south from here don’t have the same opportunities just because their system is different. So, if I was one of them, I’d be coming north, too.’ His wife, Laura, born in Mexico, joined Water Station as a volunteer and they tied the knot years later. “She didn’t tell me she was a Democrat when I married her. Once again, I was tricked,” Hunter says. “When I married her, we weren’t talking about politics. All we did was come out here and put out water.” The couple’s marriage has been tested more than ever since Donald Trump won the 2016 US election campaigning against illegal immigration. “I don’t like the way he’s demonizing people, especially poor people for coming from different parts of the world,” Laura, 73, says. “It’s refreshing to find a guy who is himself, even if he’s a jerk.”