Photo: Man Wanting to Attend Son's Funeral in U.S Denied Entry from Mexico
After his son died in a house fire in Pennsylvania, Mexican national Fidelmar Merlos-Lopez just wanted to see him laid to rest, but when he tried to gain entry to the U.S. he was turned away.
Saturday, “Fidel” Merlos-Lopez, 34, told Fox News, ‘I told the customs officer that all I want is a permit to see my boy for one last time. They treat me as if I am a criminal. Right now, I need their support, and they are refusing to help me.’
On March 27, 10-year-old Damien Lopez was killed in a house fire in Shenandoah along with his aunt, cousin and 7-month-old half-brother.
Merlos-Lopez had been living in Mexico, working as a bus driver, while working on a green card, which his attorney said he is well on his way to obtaining. In 1995, he entered the U.S. illegally as a teenager. He met and married his first wife, a U.S. citizen, and had his son Damien. His relationship with Damien’s mother did not work out and the couple divorced. Merlos-Lopez would marry once more, again to a U.S. citizen.
In 2007, Merlos-Lopez was stopped for running a red light and turned over to immigration officials. He then left the U.S. voluntarily and had been working to reunite with his family ever since.
Though he had not been able to see his son in three years, the father says he spoke with Damien twice a week.
Now, he is fighting to see his son one last time.
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UPDATE:
A spokesperson for Merlos-Lopez said that he has been allowed to enter for the funeral and burial after being issued a humanitarian parole
