The federal agency granted her a one-month reprieve from deportation to her native Guatemala after the meeting at the ICE offices in Tampa.

Garcia, 21, who has lived in Sarasota under political asylum for more than a decade, wants to stay here, marry her fiance and raise their baby as American citizens.

But Garcia’s fight to stay in the country is far from over. As it has been for months, Garcia’s fate is in limbo until November, when she must again appear before immigration officials in Tampa.

Garcia said that after explaining her situation to ICE officials, they encouraged her to find a good lawyer. The couple thinks a previous lawyer may have exacerbated the problem by giving them bad advice, such as avoiding paying certain fines.

Garcia was also given paperwork to file for a work permit, which could be a hint that ICE officials may allow her to stay.

The U.S. recently revoked the asylum status of Garcia and her father, who was arrested while working as a landscaper at The Oaks subdivision and deported earlier this year.

Despite the uncertainty, the hearing was a victory for Garcia and her family, since all involved worried that she and her baby would be deported immediately after the Tampa hearing.

Garcia’s father was a soldier in the U.S.-backed Guatemalan army during the country’s 36-year civil war, which ended in 1996 and left thousands of civilians dead.

Garcia’s fiance pleaded for mercy from immigration officials.

“We are respecting the immigration laws following their requests on Wendy’s departure process; we are just asking for a humane decision,” said fiance Eliezer Rivera, a Dominican Republic native who has permanent resident status. “No human heart would want to separate us, making us struggle for an uncertain period of time. Why can’t she just stay since they say if she leaves I can make the petition for her to come back?”

In the meantime, the couple decided they would soon get married. The uncertainty over Garcia’s immigration status had kept them from getting married, but they said ICE officials indicated marriage wouldn’t hurt the appeals process.

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