MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – An Albanian mother of three was deported after living 18 years in Michigan, but a court has decided to give her case another look.
Peter Gojcevic's life drastically changed in a matter of months after his wife, Cile Precetaj, was deported to Albania. Their children made the difficult choice to follow their mother.
"Devastating, lonely. I wake up every day, look at the pictures, cry myself to sleep looking at the pictures of my family," he said.
After several appeals and denials the 6th Circuit Court in Cincinnati ruled in Precetaj's favor, believing the Board of Immigration Appeals should reopen her asylum case.
Attorney Michael Lacey believes it's a safety issue.
"They realize there is more to this case than the lower courts have seen," he said. "It's very dangerous for her to be there. It's dangerous for her children because they're Americans and could be kidnapped at any time and used for ransom."
Gojcevic said the children are optimistic about the appeal.
"They've started packing up and getting ready, and we said, 'No, this is a long process.'"
It will still be months before the family will know if they will be able to return to the the United States.