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.
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Student Jessica Colotl says the decision is "like a big present"
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She is scheduled to graduate from Kennesaw State University next week
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Colotl has been facing possible deportation to Mexico since she was arrested last year
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Activists on both sides of the immigration debate have used her case as a rallying point
Kuck said the extension was granted Tuesday, and it allows @placeholder to apply for a work permit for the duration of the extension.