Canadian man living at Mérida airport for two months

Mérida, Yucatán

A foreigner has been living at Mérida International Airport for almost two months, a Canadian man who, according to authorities, is waiting for a family member to send him money to purchase his return ticket to his country.

The man wears black pants and a brown hooded coat with sneakers, arriving dragging a black suitcase, two handbags, and a small cat-shaped suitcase.

Both immigration personnel and the National Guard and security have interrogated him and asked for his documents, but he insists that he is waiting for money to be sent to him to return to his country, which is why they allow him to stay for hours and even several days at the airport morning, afternoon, and night.

According to authorities, they cannot do anything more, as he behaves peacefully, does not speak with anyone, only remains seated for hours, sometimes gets up to go to the restrooms, and even goes out to walk through the exterior hallways and returns to sit down.

But as the days pass, his presence becomes more noticeable and familiar, both for the authorities who keep him under surveillance and for the employees of the businesses, security personnel, etc., who lament that to date no one has deigned to offer him help.

Like in the Movies

His story resembles that of the film The Terminal, which is based on the true story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, an Iranian refugee who lived at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport between 1988 and 2006, as he could not prove his identity or his refugee status and was detained in the waiting area for travelers without papers.