The future of a 12-year-old Galway girl and her Brazilian parents facing deportation remains uncertain.
Schoolgirl Stephany Bianka Martins Ribeiro is facing deportation along with her mother Danielle Martins Ribeiro and father Lucivaldo Araujo da Silva.
Stephany lives with her parents and two younger siblings, Bryan, nine, and two-year-old Nicole in Athenry, Co Galway.
Stephany - who had her birthday on Sunday - and her siblings were all born in Ireland.
Mr da Silva was just released from Cloverhill Prison today, where he has been in custody on foot of a deportation order.
He was due to be deported tomorrow but was released and reunited with his family.
He was arrested at home on foot of a deportation order on February 2 while Ms Ribeiro was out at work at a nearby hotel.
His case will be reviewed by the Department of Justice and it is understood he will need to sign on regularly with authorities during the review, according to barrister Lorraine Lally, who has been assisting the family.
The Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan today issued a statement saying there was “no imminent threat of deportation in this case”.
But the family’s future remains uncertain, with Mr da Silva as well as Stephany and Ms Ribeiro still facing the possibility of deportation.
Stephany is in legal limbo as she is undocumented, but cannot register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau for another four years, until she is 16.
This is true for all children, according to Ms Lally, who called for compassion for other families in similar situations.
She also called for the immigration current system to be “sorted out”.
Ms Lally told the Irish Mirror that an application for a stay on the deportation order was lodged on February 20 - but was only dealt with today.
If Stephany and her parents are deported, nine-year-old Bryan and two-year-old Nicole could face going into State care.
Ms Ribeiro and Mr da Silva, originally from Brazil, have called Ireland their home for 12 years.
In an emotional plea today Ms Ribeiro pleaded for her family and called on the Government to let them stay in Ireland.
“I’m here to speak for my kids. We pay our taxes. We’re hard workers, me and my husband,” Ms Ribeiro told RTE Radio 1’s Today with Sean O’Rourke.
“I’m here to speak for my daughter. She doesn’t want to come back to Brazil. She says to me every day, ‘Mum I’m Irish, I was born in the Galway hospital, and I’m from Athenry’.”
Ms Ribeiro said she and her partner love Ireland, and want to continue to raise their children here.
On Sunday, Fianna Fail TD for Galway East Anne Rabbitte praised the hard-working family and called on Mr Flanagan to revoke the deportation orders.
Ms Rabbitte met with the family during the recent election.
Ms Rabbitte said: “It’s heartbreaking to see this Athenry family on the verge of being torn apart.
“This family is much loved in the area and their friends and neighbours are rallying around them to try and save this family.
“Numerous teachers, business owners, friends and family have reached out to me about this and it’s causing such stress for the community. It’s also having a serious emotional impact on the family and their friends. It’s devastating.”
