DETROIT (WXYZ) - Supporters of a metro Detroit teenager rallied for her cause Monday night. She grew up in Grosse Pointe Park, but she's facing deportation this week.
WATCH MICHAEL ROSENFIELD'S STORY IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ON THE RIGHTHerta Llusho is an engineering student at the University of Detroit Mercy. The 19-year-old graduated from Grosse Pointe South with a 4.0 GPA, and has many relatives in metro Detroit. The problem is she's not an American citizen.
Herta and her mom came here legally from Albania eight years ago on a tourist visa. They declared political asylum, but were denied. Now they've exhausted all their appeals, and they are expected to be deported on Wednesday.
Supporters, including the organization Dreamactivist.org, which fights for undocumented students, believe there is a chance to save Herta because she's a student and because she was a minor when she came here.
Herta's mom, speaking through an interpreter, says she's torn apart because her family is split up. Her son will remain here on a student visa; her husband has never left Albania.
