A glamorous couple’s life was shattered when a woman was detained and placed in ICE custody following their attempt to cross the southern border for a day trip to Los Angeles.
Jamie Nations, 56, and Olena Berezhnova-Gunel, 34, were planning to visit their wedding venue during their US trip, but the future bride’s visa was still pending.
‘It was so stupid, looking back,’ Nations told AZ Central in an interview.
The couple met during a trip to Argentina in December 2024. Nations works as an actor in Los Angeles, and Berezhnova-Gunel is an English teacher.
Berezhnova-Gunel, a Ukrainian temporarily residing in Rosarito, Mexico, which lies just south of Tijuana, was cautious about visiting California with her fiancée, US-born Nations.
They were staying in the temporary apartment until Berezhnova-Gunel’s visa status was approved. Once approved, the happy couple was hoping to start their life together at Nations’ home.
Berezhnova-Gunel had applied for a K-1 visa, a legal document that allows a foreign-born individual to come to the US legally to marry an American.
The visa requires couples to marry within 90 days of approval, and if the marriage is determined to be legitimate, a Green Card will be issued, and the individual can become a permanent resident of the US.
The couple said Berezhnova-Gunel’s visa status was pending. Still, Nations wanted to bring her to California for the day to see where they would be getting married and later living together.
Jamie Nations, 56, (L), and Olena Berezhnova-Gunel, 34, (R), were awaiting visa approval to get married and move in together in Los Angeles
The couple attempted to enter the US through the San Ysidro port of entry (pictured) for a day trip, when CBP agents detained them
Berezhnova-Gunel was sent to the San Luis Regional Detention Center (pictured) in Arizona, where CBP agents said she would be held until her visa was approved
Nations confessed that he ‘had no idea how intense’ border control had become since President Donald Trump assumed office in January.
He admitted it was a ‘risk’ entering the US while Berezhnova-Gunel’s visa application was pending, but figured that the worst thing that could happen is they’d be turned away.
‘Honestly, it was kind of out of desperation. We had our K-1 visa already pending. We had already done all that stuff,’ Nations said.
‘We were like, “Hey, let’s just go ask … and see if they will let us come in for the day,”‘ he added.
The two arrived at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego on Nations’ motorcycle on the morning of April 6, hoping to get a peek at their wedding venue.
Agents with Customs and Border Protection were not so lenient, and the two were handcuffed and separated.
A CBP supervisor told the couple, ‘Tell them you took a wrong turn, and they will be easier on you,’ Nations told AZ Central.
Berezhnova-Gunel is Ukrainian but was temporarily living in Mexico with her fiancée until her visa was approved
The two met on vacation and have been living in Mexico until they could legally marry and live together in Nations’ Los Angeles home
Nations said the couple was treated ‘like trash’ by CBP and ICE agents before his fiancée was thrown in custody
When Nations was escorted to an interview room, he saw his fiancée handcuffed to a bench, in tears.
‘They treat you like trash, not like humans. I mean, it was awful,’ Nations recalled.
Nations said he was accused of taking money from Berezhnova-Gunel to smuggle her into the US.
Berezhnova-Gunel was taken to the San Luis Regional Detention Center in Arizona, where she has been staying ever since the debacle.
Nations was held overnight and took a bus back to his home in Marina Del Rey the next morning.
Since then, he has desperately been trying to get his fiancée out of the detention center.
Since Berezhnova-Gunel was detained in April, her fiancée has worked to get her out by calling ICE every day and contacting government officials
Nations said federal agents accused him of taking money from Berezhnova-Gunel to smuggle her into the US illegally
Nations shared a video on YouTube, sharing their story. He included pictures and videos of the couple during happier times.
‘Currently, she [Berezhnova-Gunel] is in detention, or as you like it, prison. Why? Because we are incredibly naïve,’ he explained in the video.
He said that he just wanted to show his fiancée where he lived and where they would have their wedding. Nations said that he never got to say goodbye to Berezhnova-Gunel.
‘She is not a gang member. She is not a criminal. She is an English teacher,’ Nations pleaded.
He said since his fiancée was detained, he’s contacted senators, representatives, immigration attorneys, and calls ICE every day.
‘All I have gotten is an automated loop and a bureaucratic red tape. At this point, I’m at my wits’ end and I’m making this plea for help,’ Nations pleaded.
Daily Mail reached out to ICE and CBP for additional information on Berezhnova-Gunel’s arrest and an update on her case.
Berezhnova-Gunel is an English teacher and was engaged to an American citizen when she was detained
Nations has been working as an actor in Los Angeles, but was temporarily residing with his fiancée in Mexico until her visa was approved
According to the US Embassy and Consulate, individuals with a K-1 visa can travel, but ‘may be subject to additional scrutiny.’
‘Traveling under another visa status or the visa waiver program is not advised for K-1 fiancé(e) visa applicants prior to the approval of their K visa as they have already indicated their intention is to marry in the U.S.,’ the consulate adds.
Sandra Grisolia, a spokesperson for ICE, told AZ Central in a statement, ‘All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention, and if found removable by final order, removed from the U.S., regardless of nationality.’
The statement added that Berezhnova-Gunel will stay in custody until her visa status is approved.
ICE argued that because Berezhnova-Gunel didn’t have legal documentation to enter the US per Trump’s ‘Securing Our Borders’ executive order, her detainment was justified.
