U.S. Immigration Red Tape Preventing Jeweler from Visiting Dying Mother

He has been battling the immigration system for years.

Harold van Beek, owner of Jewelry By Harold in North Liberty, IA, says that he’s unable to visit his dying mother in the Netherlands because crossing the border would jeopardize his business, local news affiliate KCRG reports.

Van Beek, the report adds, has lived in the U.S. for more than a decade, but his visa only permits him to operate a small business and does not allow him to become a citizen. He told KCRG that by crossing the border, his visa would be voided and he may not be allowed to return to the country, putting his business and the immigration status of his family at risk. “The only thing that I am asking, let me come back in the same status that I am in right now just to say farewell to my mom, that’s the only thing that I am asking.”

Read more at KCRG