ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – A vigil was held Thursday for a Sterling Heights woman who is facing deportation, just days before she is set to go back to Albania.
Cile Precetaj, a mother of three, was detained April 26.
Her children gathered at St. Paul Albanian Catholic Church in Rochester Hills as they recited a prayer she taught them.
What happened
According to her family, Precetaj, 46, goes to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Office on Mt. Elliot in Detroit for her monthly check-ins. She normally brings her children with her, but she didn't April 26 and was detained.
Precetaj has lived in the United States for 18 years, but if deported, she will go to Albania. She also faced a deportation scare in 2013, but she was saved by an executive order in 2014.
Her family says that Precetaj has tried to become a legal citizen since she came to the U.S. in 2018. Her family and attorney also say that she hasn't committed any crimes since she came to the country undocumented.