Coronavirus crisis: Trump's immigration restrictions keeps husband apart from wife, 1-year-old son in LA
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The fast-changing immigration policy imposed by the Trump administration in the past week has turned the lives of a young Los Angeles couple into a nightmare.
The Beller family is now separated by 5,000 miles with no idea when they can be reunited.
Andrew Beller had been the stay-at-home parent as his wife Kelly managed a small business. Now she is alone with their 13-month-old son Jasper.
"And he's saying Dad, Dad, while looking at the bed and looking at the side of the bedroom my husband would usually be. That is really sad for me," Kelly Brennan-Kleyn, who works with bands and major concert venues, told ABC7.
"I know Kelly is struggling and there's literally nothing I can do about it," said Beller.
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They are caught in a web of pandemic restrictions and an immigration process that suddenly changed as the president announced on Twitter a 60-day immigration ban he said would protect jobs for U.S. workers.
Beller, a U.K. citizen had flown back to London for his green card interview at the U.S. embassy. It was canceled as the country went into lockdown. The couple is searching for answers.
"So all we really have to go on is based on President Trump's tweets so in 140 characters or less we're expected to discern what we need to do next. So that we can be together as a family," says Brennan-Kleyn.
She says shopping is challenging because the baby cannot wear a mask at the store. And managing her small business is hampered.
Adding to the stress is the emotional toll of separation and not knowing how long it will last. They had expected a process that would take months but the 60-day hold raises fears that they will be apart indefinitely.
"I think we all have to ask ourselves, how long do we think it is appropriate for families to be expected to stay apart," said Brennan-Kleyn.
