The Stamford mother who defied an order to leave the country earlier this week has been granted an emergency stay of deportation by federal immigration authorities.

Miriam Martinez will be allowed to remain in the United States until her case is heard. Hours earlier, she was worried she might be arrested.

But her attorney, Glenn Formica, held a news conference Wednesday afternoon to publicly announce the development after he met with immigration officials in Hartford to work out the deal.

A judge will decide whether to reopen her case. As News 12 has reported, Martinez, who is from Guatemala, has two daughters who are American citizens. One of them, Brianna, has Type 1 diabetes and requires constant care.

Home video taken by the family shows the other daughter, Allison, jumping for joy after learning of her mother's stay. And her husband, Raphael Benavides, described news of the stay as "the biggest gift that God could have given us."

"It's like when you are born again," he said.

Rep. Jim Himes stopped by Martinez's home Wednesday morning. He and Connecticut's two senators have asked federal authorities to reopen her case.

"We are a country of laws, but we also recognize -- all of us recognize -- that law enforcement makes decisions about who to go after and who not to go after," Himes said.

Even Gov. Dannel Malloy has voiced support for Martinez.

Now, she can worry about Thanksgiving instead of getting arrested. She said Mayor David Martin is giving her family a holiday dinner. 

"I try to keep things normal," Martinez said. "I don't want to scare my kids."