Today, after days of activism by Senator Carl Levin, Representative Carolyn Kilpatrick and thousands of grassroots activists, Herta reported to to the Detroit ICE office at 10:30 am this morning, and was granted and extension on her deportation to Albania, until November 9, 2009.

Herta issued a statement saying:

"Today's decision from DHS comes as a great relief to me and to my family and I am eternally thankful to Senator Levin, Representative Kilpatrick and the thousands of activists who rallied on my behalf. I began my day--bags packed--not knowing where I would rest my head tonight. I close the day with an even greater faith in the goodness and fairness of this great country.

"While this temporary extension is a great first step in my struggle, there is much more work to do to ensure I can remain, pursue my dreams to become an engineer, and give back to the country that I love. Today, I am taking a deep breath; but tomorrow, I will be back out there fighting for my future and the future of thousands of students just like me who want nothing more than to stay, serve, and work in the country that they know and love."

And fight we will, because while this is certainly a step in the right direction, Herta will still have to report back to ICE on November 9th--and that's not good enough.

DHS and ICE need to grant Herta deferred action on her deportation.

We can't let up on DHS and ICE. Help us reach our goal of 5,000 letters by the end of the week!

Already, because of your efforts, over 2,500 letters have been sent to DHS and ICE. Now help us reach our goal of 5,000 letters by the week's end.

Go to http://action.seiu.org/page/invite/hertacallinvite and sign onto Herta's letter to DHS and ICE.

In the coming weeks, the Llusho family and a growing group of activists will continue to push for deferred action on Herta's case, which would allow her to remain in the country while she pursues her college education and while Congress considers immigration reform--particularly the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act would allow immigrant students who were brought to the US as children, such as Herta, to become permanent residents upon completing college or military service, thereby allowing these students to fulfill their potential and fully contribute the their communities.

For more on comprehensive immigration reform, visit www.seiu.org/immigration.

UPDATE - 5:44 pm

We're already half way to our goal of 5,000 letters to DHS and ICE. Take action now and if you've already signed onto Herta's letter, please forward it to a friend!