Teen crash survivor Lidiane Carmo who lost entire family won't be deported

A 15-year-old undocumented immigrant who survived a fiery Florida car wreck only to find out the accident killed her immediate family will no longer have to worry about being deported, immigration officials said Wednesday.

Brazilian high school freshman Lidiane Carmo's mother, father, sister, uncle and uncle's girlfriend were killed in a multi-vehicle crash on Sunday while driving back to Georgia from a religious conference in Florida.

Members of the church where Lidiane's father served as a pastor told the Atlanta Joual-Constitution they feared the teenager would be sent back to her native Brazil since her family was living in the country illegally.

The Carmo family came to the United States 12 years ago on legal visas which have since expired, so Lidiane is now technically an undocumented immigrant.

But an official from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said Wednesday Lidiane does not have to worry.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Miss Lidiane Carmo as she deals with the tragic loss of her family," ICE spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said, according to CNN. "Reports of her facing deportation are completely false."

The family's church, co-founded by her father, put out a call Wednesday asking people to give financial support to Lidiane. She needs to pay to bring the bodies of her family back to Georgia, or potentially to Brazil, for burial.

The church also went to the media to plead that Lidiane be allowed to stay in the country despite her immigration status.

"The Carmo family was in the United States illegally," pastor Alonso Oliveira told CNN. "The family wanted to obtain legal status but had no laws to help them do so."

As an undocumented immigrant, Lidiane also lacks health insurance, the Atlanta paper reported. She has already undergone one surgery since the accident and may require more.

CNN reports that the family says Florida Gov. Rick Scott visited Lidiane in the hospital and assured her other family members that the medical expenses and transport of the bodies would be paid for, though the Goveor's office would not confirm that offer.

A Bank of America account labeled the Carmo Family Funeral Fund was created, the AJC reported, and donations can be made at any of the bank's branches.

The five passengers in the car with Lidiane were among the 11 people killed in the crash.

Police initially believed there were 10 fatalities, but discovered an 11th body in the wreckage on Wednesday.