Daniela Pelaez and Her Sister Talk To Media About Next Steps To Stay In U.S.

Two sisters who got a reprieve from deportation on Thursday said their immigration case is at a standstill.

Daniela Pelaez and her sister Dayana have worked with lawmakers to raise awareness about young undocumented students like herself.

Pelaez’s request for a green card was denied by a judge, sparking a national debate on the Dream Act. Her application for residency was denied in 2010.

But Pelaez and her sister were granted a two-year reprieve in March after they faced imminent deportation. Their lawyer had filed an appeal on that, but Department of Homeland Security opposed it.

"Right now, we are in limbo. We do not know what will happen to us," Dayana Pelaez said.

The sisters said that Homeland Security is moving to dismiss their case just a month after President Obama announced a policy change which would allow about 800,000 children like them to stay in the U.S.

"There is a clear lack of communication going on and I am truly appalled by it. As we all know, the Department of Homeland Security is part of the executive branch of government. President Obama is your boss and he told you a month ago not to interfere with cases like mine and my sister's," Daniela Pelaez said.

The department did not comment.

The sisters have received a flurry of support from local officials, catapulting their case to the national stage.

The sisters started their own foundation, We Are Here Foundation Inc., to raise money and provide scholarships, grants and support to student immigrants in the U.S.

Pelaez left Colombia with her parents in 1998. Her family overstayed a tourist visa when she was 4 years old. She plans to study medicine at Dartmouth College in the fall.

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