Albanian mom with three American kids makes desperate bid to stay in the U.S. after she's given 24 HOURS to leave the country

Cile Precetaj, 40, of Detroit, Michigan, was ordered to report for deportation at Detroit Metro Airport at 10:30 a.m. today for a flight back to Albania

She received a letter from authorities informing her of her deportation on Monday, a day before her scheduled flight

However, in a desperate bid to buy time, she deliberately missed her flight, instead staying at home with her family around her

She will now likely be taken to jail as the authorities organize another flight

Meanwhile, her lawyers are fighting to keep the hard-working mom in the country she's called home since 2000

Her husband has lived in the U.S. for 40 years and her three children, aged 11, 6 and 4, are U.S. citizens enrolled in the local school

She is also the sole carer for her elderly mother-in-law who can't eat or walk on her own



A Detroit family is being ripped apart after immigration officials gave a 40-year-old married mother 24 hours to leave the country despite having no criminal convictions, a husband who has lived here for decades and three U.S.-born children.

Cile Precetaj, who came to the States seeking asylum 13 years ago, was ordered to report for deportation at Detroit Metro Airport at 10:30 a.m. today for a flight back to her native Albania, after receiving a letter from authorities Monday telling her to pack her bags.



However, in a desperate bid to buy time, she deliberately missed the deadline, and is now waiting at home, with her family around her, until authorities take her to jail where she will be held until another flight is organized.

Devastating: Cile Precetaj, pictured right, who came to the States seeking asylum 13 years ago, was ordered to report for deportation at Detroit Metro Airport at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday for a flight back to her native Albania

Tears: Precetaj, pictured with her three U.S.-born children Mikey, 11, right, Migena, 6, center, and Martina, 4, left, was told Monday that she had to leave

'There is a level of insanity in this case,' her New York-based immigration attorney Andrew Johnson told MailOnline as he fights against the clock to keep Precetaj with her husband and children. 'Someone is not doing what is ordinarily done. There is an abuse of power.'



Precetaj came to the U.S. through Canada in 2000 fearing that if she stayed in Albania she would be kidnapped and sold into prostitution. She immediately turned herself in and sought asylum. While here illegally, she married Pjetero Gojcevic, who was born in Yugoslavia but moved here 40 years ago, and the couple had three kids, Mikey, 11, Migena, 6 and Martina 4, all U.S. citizens.

Precetaj is the sole carer of her elderly mother-in-law, another U.S. citizen, whose toes were amputated and needs help eating, walking and washing.



But her case for political asylum was rejected after a judge said her testimony about fearing the prostitution trade lacked credibility. He said even if her concerns were warranted 'young, attractive women are not a social group for asylum.'



Packing up: Precetaj, pictured center with her kids, chose not to go to the airport and remained at home with her packed bags, waiting for authorities but they didn't come

Seeking asylum: Precetaj came to the U.S. through Canada in 2000 fearing that if she stayed in Albania she would be kidnapped and sold into prostitution. She immediately turned herself in and sought asylum After losing her appeal, she was given a deportation order. An estimated 500,000 people are living in the U.S. with a deportation order, however, U.S. Immigrations Customs and Enforcement only acts on a portion of cases and the Obama Administration specifically said targeting people with criminal convictions was the priority. Precetaj has none. In fact, she's a glowing member of her community, described by friends and her children's teachers as a hard-working mother who pays her taxes and helps her kids with schoolwork, not to mention keeping her elderly mother-in-law out of a government-funded home.

'Detroit has gone off the map here,' Johnson said. '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.'

Settled in: While here, she married Pjetero Gojcevic, who was born in Yugoslavia but moved here 40 years ago, and the couple had three kids, including Migena, 6, pictured Precetaj became concerned about two weeks ago, when at her regular six-month check in with the deportation department she was fitted with a GPS ankle bracelet. But the mother-of-three was convinced ICE wouldn't deport a woman whose three kids are American-born. 'That is strange they put an ankle bracelet on a mom with three kids,' Johnson said, referring to the low risk of her fleeing. 'Then the day before her scheduled flight they said "You're flying out tomorrow, here's your information." They didn't want the bad press.

'I think they wanted it to look as natural as possible because they understood how egregious this case is. It just doesn't make sense.'

Now, the authorities will be forced to collect Precetaj from her home and take her into custody. At midday Tuesday, she was pictured there, with her family surrounding her awaiting ICE officers. Precetaj and her children were crying as they hugged by the Christmas tree, and the woman's mother-in-law was asking what would become of her if her daughter was sent home. Other relatives, including a cousin, were visibly upset at the heartbreaking situation the family has been thrown into.

Hugs: Precetaj has not decided, if she is in fact deported, whether to take the kids, who have never been to Albania, with her

Review: The mother's case will be reviewed

'They will jail her for one to three weeks, however long it takes to organize another flight,' Johnson told MailOnline. 'Then border guards will drive her to the airport and take off her ankle bracelet like she's a mass murderer or a terrorist going to Guantanamo.'

In the meantime, Johnson and the family are working desperately for someone in Washington D.C. to interject.



'We need somebody in the White House, connected to ICE, to say "stop this immediately. This is wrong." If someone in DC hears about this, that is our best chance. Her story just hasn't been heard.'



Understandably, Precetaj is beside herself, and is still trying to work out if she will take her children, who are enrolled in school and have never been to Albania, with her. Her husband works as a cook at restaurant in Detroit and said he can't afford to raise the children on his own.



'She is an emotional mess,' Johnson explained.



Deportation: Precetaj was informed Monday that she had to report at Deport's McNamara terminal at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday as per the above order

Empty: But the terminal, pictured, was empty at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, as the mother-of-three defied the order by staying home

'What she has been told by numerous people was that they don't deport women with three US citizen children and that is exactly what they're doing.



'She is crying all the time, trying to work out who she can take and who she can't. She's going back to Albania and that is not a good place to bring a 6-year-old girl, particularly.'

He added: 'It happened in one day, she has no idea what to do.'



Gojcevic told the Detroit Free Press Monday night the family was 'hoping for a miracle.'