It's a cross-border call for mercy. A young man, his family, and Congressman Raul Grijalva are asking the Department of Homeland Security to let a Mexican woman cross the border to visit her dying husband one last time.
The woman was turned away at the border for being in the U-S illegally many years ago.
Gloria Arrellano Montoya is in Mexico, while her husband Arsenio lives what may be his last few weeks in Tucson's Saint Mary's Hospital.
Their son, Bill De La Rosa chokes up as he says, "I think he wants to see my mom one last time before he finally lets go and so really from the bottom of our hearts we just ask, as the Congressman said, for a sliver of hope and an opportunity just for this, just a small way for us to come together one final time."
Bill De La Rosa is pleading his mother's case because immigration turned her away at the border. She was here illegally years ago so now she's banned from returning for ten years.
Her son says with just a year left of the ten year ban all the family asks is a few days or hours.
“She was already paroled in once for five days back in 2011 when my Dad had his first stroke and he almost died then. She complied with that parole. She came in legally, followed the procedures, the parole was extended again for another five days. She complied with the proceedings and returned back to Mexico."
De La Rosa has had a strong response to hison-linepetition urging the government to grant his mother a humanitarian parole.
Congressman Raul Grijalva says that earlier emergency visit shows Gloria Arrellano Montoya will not abuse any mercy she's granted. He's asked Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to separate this case from arguments over immigration and approve the few days she needs.
MORE: Read Grijalva's Request For Humanitarian Parole to the Secretary of Homeland Security
Rep Grijalva says, “And like Bill said very clearly, we're not asking for a permanent solution to this question. We are asking for, right now at this moment in a grave time with serious illness of our father, let us be together."
KGUN9 has asked DHS to comment on the family, and Congressman Grijalva's request.
