Georgia college student faces deportation after being mistakenly pulled over during traffic stop
A traffic stop in Dalton, Georgia, which police admitted was a mistake, led to a 19-year-old Mexico-born college student's arrest and possible deportation.
The Dalton Police Department said it was dropping the traffic-related charges against Ximena Arias-Cristobal, that led to her initial arrest last week. But she remains at an ICE detention facility in southwest Georgia.
"After suffering for more than a week in police and ICE custody, it turns out this was all the result of a police mistake. The tragedy of our system is that there is no immediate remedy for Ximena, as ICE does not care about fairness or justice," her attorney, Dustin Baxter, said in a statement to NBC News.
"We will fight for her release at her upcoming bond hearing, and then try to restore some sense of normalcy to her life," he said.
The ordeal began on May 5 when Arias-Cristobal, who is in the country without authorization, was pulled over by Dalton police. She was accused of making an improper turn and driving without a valid driver's license, but dash cam video of the traffic stop showed that the officer meant to stop another vehicle.
"After a review of the dash cam video of the traffic stop, it was determined that Ms. Arias-Cristobal's vehicle appeared similar to the offending vehicle but was not the vehicle that made an improper turn," police said in a news release on Monday.
The release stated that a black pickup truck made an illegal right turn on red at an intersection. The officer could not immediately pursue the truck because he was behind another vehicle that had stopped at the red light. Arias-Cristobal was driving a dark grey pickup truck.
According to local news reports, she has lived in the Dalton area since her family came to the U.S. when she was 4 years old. She is currently enrolled at Dalton State Community College.
Her arrest sparked protests in the city.
Chris Crossen, assistant chief of police, said at a news conference that he "regrets the circumstances that led us to where we are here today."
But added that the department has "no part in the other proceedings."
Online records show that Arias-Cristobal is being held at the Stewart Detention Center, an ICE detention facility in Georgia. Her father, Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar, is being held at the same facility. He was detained about two weeks ago following a traffic stop.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a post on X that Arias-Tovar "admitted that he is in the country illegally."
"The family will be able to return to Mexico together," the department said. "Mr. Tovar had ample opportunity to seek a legal pathway to citizenship. He chose not to. We are not ignoring the rule of law."
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