After teary goodbyes to her two children, Alejandra Juarez, the wife of a former Marine and Iraq War veteran, was deported Friday, despite asking the president to allow her to stay in the country with her family.

Nine members of Congress also wrote to Donald Trump, imploring him to intervene on behalf of Juarez, who has lived in the U.S. for 20 years and been married to former Marine Sgt. Cuauhtemoc 'Temo' Juarez, who is a U.S. citizen, for 18 years.

The couple, of Davenport, Florida, has two children who are both U.S. citizens, Pamela, age 16, and 8-year-old Estela.

Alejandra Juarez, 38, left, says goodbye to her children, Pamela and Estela at the Orlando International Airport on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Juarez, the wife of a former Marine, was preparing to self-deport to Mexico in a move that would split up their family

Pamela covered her face and sobbed as her crying mother tried to comfort her

Alejandra Juarez is pictured here with her husband, former Marine Sgt. Cuauhtemoc 'Temo' Juarez, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1995-1999 and has since joined the Army National Guard in Florida

She gave a kiss to Alex Barrio, an aide for U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) as she arrived for her deportation flight

'My daughters mean everything to me,' Juarez said in a statement. 'They are the reasons for me to keep going every day, and to keep fighting to remain here ... Their life is here and my life is here with them.'

She plans to eventually have her youngest daughter join her in Mexico - a difficult decision for the family, because it divides the two daughters who are very close, said Richard Maney, Juarez' Florida-based attorney.

'It is a dark day for our community,' Maney told MailOnline.com. 'Very, very tearful. We have a wonderful, warm family being split down the middle.'

Juarez was 16 years old when she crossed the border, fleeing violence in her community at the time, and was coached by a smuggler to avoid paths to legal immigration, although she may have qualified. She has now spent more of her life in the U.S. than in her home country of Mexico.

During a traffic stop in 2013 she was flagged for being in the country illegally and began regular supervised check-ins with officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Under the Obama administration - and as a law-abiding military spouse - she was told repeatedly that she was not a priority for deportation proceedings.

Alejandra Juarez,38, left, says goodbye to her children, Pamela and Estela at the Orlando International Airport on Friday, Aug. 3

Alejandra Juarez,38, center, passes through TSA screening at the Orlando International Airport on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Juarez, the wife of a former Marine was preparing to self-deport to Mexico in a move that would split up their family

The couple, of Davenport, Florida, has two children who are both U.S. citizens, Pamela, age 16, and 8-year-old Estela

Alejandra Juarez poses with her daughters, Pamela, 16, and Estela, 8. Juarez was deported on Aug. 3, despite having no criminal record and being married to a U.S. citizen who is a retired Marine

'ICE (officials) here had been supervising Alejandra for five years without any problem,' Maney said. 'ICE, when they first came across her five years ago, saw that she deserved to stay in the United States. It's just that now they were directed under President Trump's zero tolerance policy to deport.'

Juarez had sought to resolve her immigration status by requesting 'parole in place,' a protective status that would allow her to remain, or a stay of removal. She was denied in both cases.

'She freely and voluntarily appeared today and got on a plane because she was told to,' Maney said. 'She's a law abiding person.'

Her husband served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1995-1999 and has since joined the Army National Guard in Florida. Also originally from Mexico, he became a naturalized citizen a few days before being deployed to Iraq with the National Guard.

Donald Trump (left) did not respond to pleas by Alejandra Juarez to allow her to stay in the country with her family. In the image on the left, Juarez poses with her daughters, Pamela, 16, and Estela, 8. She was deported on Aug. 3, despite having no criminal record and being married to a U.S. citizen who is a retired Marine

As many as 11,800 current members of the U.S. military have a spouse or family member who is facing an order of deportation, according to the Military Times.

Juarez's plight sparked a hashtag (#KeepAlejandraHere) and has drawn the attention of politicians.

'While Mrs. Juarez did cross the border illegally in 1998, she acknowledges her wrongdoing and has since continued to meet every six months with immigration officials seeking a path towards remaining in the United States,' the members of Congress wrote to Trump.

'For twenty years Mrs. Juarez has not posed a danger to her community, and separating her from her family will be detrimental to her two daughters and husband. Urgent action is needed,' the letter continued.

At the same time, a bill called the Protect Patriot Spouses Act could help families like the Juarezes, however the legislation has failed to make progress in Congress despite having bipartisan support.

Timeline: Alejandra Juarez 1998 – Alejandra Juarez presented herself as a teenager to officials for inspection at a port of entry at Mexican-U.S. border. An officer felt she was representing herself to be an American, a misconception she says she corrected when questioned by a second officer. However, officials gave her the option of being held until she could see a judge or she could sign a document agreeing to leave immediately. Juarez says she didn’t know the document – presented to her in English – was an expedited removal order promising not to return for 5 years. 1998 – Juarez returned to the U.S. shortly after her removal, and says she did not understand that by doing so she was violating the agreement she had signed. She did know that she was crossing the border illegally. 2000 – She married her husband, former Marine Sgt. Cuauhtemoc 'Temo' Juarez, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen. 2013 – Juarez was stopped by a police officer while driving and placed on supervision by ICE. 2018 – U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a zero-tolerance policy on immigration. 2018 – Juarez is deported. Advertisement

Estela Juarez, 9, hugs her mother Alejandra Juarez (R), who is deported to Mexico from the Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida

Estela Juarez, 9, daughter of Alejandra Juarez, looks on as U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) speaks to reporters at the Orlando International Airport before the deportation of Alejandra Juarez, who has lived in Soto's district for years, in Orlando, Florida