MCALLEN - A woman living in the Rio Grande Valley illegally said she is counting her blessings after she was allowed to stay in the U.S. a little longer.

Norma Roman was scheduled for deportation Monday, but U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement notified her of her extended stay.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS interviewed Roman at the Mexican consulate in McAllen where was obtaining paperwork to file a petition to stay in the U.S.

Roman has spent more than half of her life in the U.S. She used to visit the Valley on a visitor visa, but overstayed it when she was 15 years old.

“I couldn’t fix my papers anymore because they were asking me for school paperwork. But I stopped going in middle school,” she said.

In 2011, Roman was deported to Mexico after she was found guilty of accepting $5,000 more than what was allotted to her in government assistance. After a month in Reynosa, she decided to journey back into the U.S.

The woman said she routinely checks in with ICE. Last month, she said she received a notice for removal.

She petitioned to stay. She said her 12 children need her, especially two of them who suffer from learning disabilities.

“I tell them I’m taking a vacation. And I hope they let me stay for them. It’s for their well being, not mine. I’m on my way out, but they are going to stay behind,” she said.

After ICE reviewed her petition, Roman said they granted her more time in the country.

ICE didn’t explain to Roman how much time she will receive. The agency will send her a letter to notify her how much more time she was granted.