An Albanian mother of three who was denied asylum and scheduled to be deported Tuesday will be allowed to remain in the U.S. as immigration officials review her case, authorities said.
Cile Precetaj was ordered to report to Detroit Metro Airport for deportation, according to Mail Online. But the 41-year-old chose instead to defy the order and wait for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to forcibly remove her from the country.
ICE never came.
Cile Precetaj of Troy, Mich., cries while packing her things at her home with her children Migena Gojcaj, 6, and Martina, 4, on Monday Dec. 2, 2013, after she was given a 24-hour notice that she is being deported back to Albania. (AP/Detroit Free Press, Ryan Garza)
Instead, immigration officials announced late Tuesday that they will allow Precetaj to stay in the U.S. as they review her case.
“ICE is presently conducting a review of Ms. Precetaj’s case, therefore her removal is not imminent at this time,” ICE spokesman Khaalid Walls told the Detroit Free Press.
Precetaj cried when she heard the news.
“I was just hugging my kids, saying ‘thank you, thank you, thank you.’ I don’t have to be scared,'” Precetaj told the Detroit Free Press.
[sharequote align="center"]“I was just hugging my kids, saying ‘thank you, thank you, thank you.’ I don’t have to be scared.'”[/sharequote]
Precetaj came to the U.S. years ago seeking asylum after fearing she would be kidnapped and sold into prostitution. While in the U.S. she married and then gave birth to three children, all of whom are U.S. citizens.
However, she was ordered for deportation after a judge recently rejected her request for political asylum.
According to Mail Online, roughly 500,000 people living in the U.S. have deportation orders and President Barack Obama has made it a priority to focus primarily on those who are in the country illegally and have criminal backgrounds. Precetaj has no criminal history.
“This is a good first step, however, we are still confused as to why they are deporting a woman with three U.S.-born kids who has been here for 13 years,” Precetaj's lawyer told the Free Press.
"Detroit has gone off the map here," Johnson added to Mail Online. "They are doing something that has not been done around the country. This person probably has as many positive evaluations as you can, she has three children who are U.S. citizens and has been here for a long time. I'm just baffled."
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