Atlanta ( CNN ) -- U.S. immigration officials have decided that an undocumented immigrant college student apprehended by authorities after driving without a license can stay in the United States for another year , the student said . Reached by phone as she rushed to class Tuesday evening , Kennesaw State University student Jessica Colotl said the decision was `` like a big present . '' A spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement , Danielle Bennett , issued a statement saying the agency `` uses discretion on a case-by-case basis , as appropriate , and has the authority to grant a deferral of removal based on the merits of an individual 's case and a review of specific facts . '' She would not elaborate on the merits of Colotl 's case . Colotl 's immigration attorney , Charles Kuck , said his client was facing a deportation deadline later this week . On Friday , he filed a petition with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for an extension to stop the removal order , arguing that Colotl 's graduation was days away , and asking for time to allow her to put her personal affairs in order . The petition also cited similar cases across the United States in which the deportations of undocumented students were being deferred . Kuck said the extension was granted Tuesday , and it allows Colotl to apply for a work permit for the duration of the extension . Colotl , who is scheduled to graduate next week with a degree in political science , became a lightning rod in the immigration debate last spring . Activists on both sides of the issue said her case was a symbol of a broken system . Her legal problems started in March 2010 , when police stopped her car on the Kennesaw State campus , saying she had been obstructing the flow of traffic in a university parking lot . Born in Mexico but living in the United States since she was 11 , Colotl could not produce a driver 's license , so she handed over as identification an expired passport from Mexico . She was arrested the next day and turned over to immigration officials . The young woman spent more than a month in the Etowah Detention Center in Alabama . Friends came out in force and marched on campus in Colotl 's defense , and the university president spoke in support . In May , she was released and her deportation was deferred for a year to allow her to finish her studies . But she was quickly arrested on a warrant from the Cobb County Sheriff 's Office and released on $ 2,500 bail . Cobb County participates in a federal program that allows jail officials to initiate deportation procedures for inmates believed to be in the country illegally . `` I 'm just trying to live the American dream and finish my education , '' she said at the time . Kuck said despite the reprieve , the chances that Colotl will be able to remain in the country are still slim . He said it will be much harder to get a third extension next year . She could also be barred from re-entering the United States for up to 20 years if she is deported . CNN 's Dan Gilgoff and Jessica Ravitz contributed to this report .
Student activist Colotl says the decision is ` ` like a big deal '' She is scheduled to graduate from Kennesaw State University next week . Colotl has been facing possible deportation to Mexico since she was arrested last year . Activists on both sides of the immigration debate have used her case as a rallying cry .