WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Fighting back tears, West Palm Beach resident Silvia Morales is coming to grips with the reality she may be forced to say goodbye to her family.
"I start to cry because I only have days left, I don't have anyone in Guatemala," said Morales.
She said she's lived in the U.S. for 34 years, working in landscaping and cleaning houses supporting her children, grandchildren and husband who is in remission from cancer.
"My dream was to stay here working with my kids but the reality is something else," said Morales. "I've been here since I was 15, I've never caused trouble or crime."
She's one of the 1.4 million people living in the U.S. who ICE says have had their cases heard by federal judges, and have been issued final orders of removal.
"It's going to be a challenge but I think they're up for it. They're going to try to get as many people as they can and send them out," said immigration attorney Richard Hujber. "I don't think a lot of Americans understand that these people do want to fix their status but they hit their head against the wall when it comes to these 10-year bars and certain things that come into play in a case and it makes even more difficult and challenging."
He's representing Morales and said his office phone has been ringing off the hook.
"They were kind of taking it easy, not really sensing that this was as important and here we are now where we've gone to the other side of the spectrum, on the other extreme and you can sense that they're realizing that and that it's now kind of crunch time to do what you can and get cases filed or push a case so that you can get something approved so that you can avoid getting deported," said Hujber. "We're still filing things today even to try to take advantage of this administration even though it's not likely we're going to get the kind of review and consideration."
He estimates tens of thousands of people in Palm Beach County are on a final order of deportation and that Morales could be detained and forced to return to Guatemala as early as February.
"I beg the president to give me a chance," said Morales. "I want to keep that dream going here, the American dream."
