By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 14:10 EST, 10 July 2013 | UPDATED: 14:26 EST, 10 July 2013 A Massachusetts mother who has been stranded in Brazil with her six-year-old daughter amid a custody dispute with the South American father expects to return home soon. Representatives for both sides said today that a Brazilian judge has decided to return the U.S. passports that federal police had seized from the American visitors. Shauna Hadden, a 33-year-old social worker from Agawam, says she brought her daughter Ava to Brazil in May so the girl could reconnect with her father. Trapped: Shauna Hadden, 33, pictured left, has created a Facebook called 'Trapped in Brazil' to draw attention to her plight and beg for help from American authorities to get her and her daughter, Ava, pictured right, home
@highlight
A Brazilian judge has decided to return U.S. passports to Shauna Hadden and daughter Ava
@highlight
Hadden, 33, claims she and Ava have been trapped in Brazil since May 21
@highlight
She says her ex-husband Donizete Machado lured them there for a visit but as soon as they touched down, he filed a custody lawsuit for Ava
@highlight
On June 6, she says policemen came carrying guns to seize their passports
@highlight
She set up a Facebook page to draw attention to her plight and ask for help from U.S. authorities
Shauna Hadden
Shauna Hadden
Shauna Hadden
They had Ava in 2007 and divorced in 2009, before he was deported in 2010 for being in the country illegally - something @placeholder knew nothing about.
Ava
Ava
Ava
Ava
Ava
Scared: Shauna, pictured with @placeholder, was frightened that she'll be forced to leave Ava in Brazil
Ava
Ava
Ava
Ava
Ava
'We thought it was a great opportunity for @placeholder to learn about her heritage.'