COLUMBUS (WCMH) — After taking sanctuary inside a Clintonville church earlier this week, Edith Espinal made the decision today to check in at the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office.

Espinal is a mother of three children and a 10-year resident of Columbus. She has no criminal record.

Espinal was denied asylum and has exhausted her appeals. Faced with the near certainty of detention and deportation, Espinal declined to appear for a scheduled appointment with ICE on Tuesday. She instead took sanctuary inside the Columbus Mennonite Church.

But after a night of reflection and counsel, Espinal decided to appear at a rescheduled appointment Wednesday at noon. “It was just a decision to comply,” Espinal said through an interpreter.

Pastor Joel Miller of Columbus Mennonite Church said it helped that Espinal was allowed to take her attorney into the meeting.

“She is understandably fearful, not knowing what an appearance like this might mean for her – risking possibly being detained,” Miller said.

Her attorney Inna Inna Simakovsky said checking in today was a show of good faith and that ICE officials agreed to give Espinal some more time to file a stay of her deportation order. “She’s not a flight risk which we proved today,” Simakovsky said. “She’s been here a really long time. She has no criminal history so all we can do is go through the process.”

“Her deportation order is still active but they have given us the time and resources to complete her case and to file a stay,” Simakovsky said.

Espinal will continue to wear an ankle monitor and will have to report in again in two weeks. But Espinal was happy to go home. “I’m going to go back home just because it’s the agreement we made and I’d like to work with them so they can work with me as well.”

“She’s not trying to buck the system,” Miller said. “She is truly trying to stay united with her family in doing in this particular situation what she believes to be best.”