The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City has granted the mother of convicted drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman a visa so she can visit her son in prison.

Consuelo Loera said while sitting in a wheelchair in front of the embassy that she and two daughters were both approved Saturday for visas to travel to the United States.

Surrounded by a throng of journalists, she said in a feeble voice: "Thank God, the U.S. Embassy gave me the permission."

Loera says she hasn't seen her son in more than four years. She says she has yet to receive the actual visa or set a date for her trip.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obradór lobbied for the visa after receiving a letter from Loera asking for assistance.