The clock is ticking for Mayra Machado who was denied a stay of immigration Wednesday.
After almost a year in an ICE detention facility, the mother of three could be sent back to El Salvador as early as Friday.
The 31-year-old fled war torn El Salvador when she was 5 years old. She admits she made a mistake more than a decade ago when she was convicted of a felony - forging a $1500 check.
Rather than doing time in jail, she was sent to boot camp. She thought her debt had been paid, but she had no documentation to legally stay in the United States.
When Machado was arrested on a traffic violation last December, her lack of documentation presented a problem. Police saw that she was her illegally and sent her to an ICE detention center.
"I feel like i could open a million doors but all those doors are going to be closed to me," she said in a telephone interview with NBC4.
After a year inside the detention center, she is angry confused and missing her three U.S. born children.
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Her case is further complicated by a criminal record that immigration officials initially got wrong, claiming there were drug charges as well. Machado's attorney was able to get that charge cleared Wednesday.
But officials say Machado has multiple criminal offenses on her record - including obstruction and reckless driving on a suspended license - dating back to 2004.
"She's due to be deported Friday," Machado's aunt Leticia Zalaya said. "It's happening soon. We have no time."
Machado's attorney Dayna Wheatly is asking ICE to hold off on deporting her until all the confusion surrounding her case can be worked out.
