Latest news with #JoseFranciscoAriasTovar
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Bad news for glamorous college student, 19, hurled in ICE custody after she was caught driving without license
In a new update, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Channel 2 Action News that 19-year-old college student Ximena Arias Cristobal will still be deported despite police dropping the underlying violation that saw her arrested. Arias Cristobal, a Mexican-born student who has lived in Georgia since she was four, was taken into ICE custody following a May 5 traffic stop in Dalton, where she lives with her family. She was cited for making an improper turn and driving without a license, then booked into the Whitfield County Jail — a move that triggered her transfer to ICE custody. But local authorities later dropped the traffic charges after reviewing dashcam footage and determining the officer had pulled over the wrong vehicle. The Dalton Police Department and city prosecutor said the car that committed the traffic infraction resembled the truck Arias Cristobal was driving. Despite the mistake, Arias Cristobal remains in ICE custody and now faces deportation. She is currently being held at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, according to ICE's online detainee tracking system. Her father, Jose Francisco Arias Tovar, is also being detained at Stewart after his own arrest by ICE last month during a separate traffic stop in Tunnel Hill, the family said. Due to the local police department's close cooperation with ICE, Arias Cristobal was swiftly transferred to Stewart following the stop, according to ABC 9. The 19-year-old student was shackled at the wrists and ankles as she was brought into the facility, where she is expected to remain for over a month before appearing before a judge. After being pulled over, Arias Cristobal told the officer she had an international driver's license — but did not have it with her at the time. Online jail records show she was initially arrested for driving without a valid license and for failing to obey traffic control devices — both of which have now been dismissed. Arias Cristobal had previously attempted to apply for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) after arriving in the U.S. in 2010, but her mother said the program had ended a year before they crossed the border. DACA allowed undocumented children brought to the U.S. to apply for deportation deferral every two years. The program has been closed to new applicants for several years. During her booking at the jail, Arias Cristobal was asked about her immigration status — a routine part of intake at Whitfield County that often leads to ICE referrals. In a twist of fate, Arias Cristobal is being held in the same facility as her father, Jose Francisco Arias Tovar, who was detained in Tunnel Hill two weeks earlier for speeding. Attorney Terry Olsen warned the teen's mother may be next. 'It's likely Arias Cristobal's mother will be 'arrested or detained within a month or so,'' he said. Jones said Arias-Cristobal had babysat her children for years, and added: 'We adore her.' She told the outlet that the teenager is 'the most precious human' and believed her international license allowed her to drive legally Jones said Arias Cristobal had babysat her children for years and added, 'We adore her.' She also told the outlet the teen is 'the most precious human' and believed her international license allowed her to drive legally. Arias Cristobal's younger sister spoke emotionally about the family's journey: 'They came in with big dreams because they wanted a big future for my older sister. And, you know, my sister goes to college, and she was an honor student since middle school.' 'And she runs. She loves to run. It's her passion, and the only reason they came is to follow my sister's dreams,' her sister added. Their mother, speaking through the younger daughter, said: 'My dad has his own company, and they called a lawyer to see if they could get a job permit or a visa, and they said that they hadn't hit that status to get one yet.' Georgia State Representative Kacey Carpenter also weighed in, writing a letter on the teen's behalf: 'The reality is, the conversation has always been that we need to get hard criminals out of the country. 'Unfortunately, the people that aren't hard criminal are getting caught up in the wash. It seems like we are much better at catching people that [are] committing misdemeanors than people that are actually a danger to society.'
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Police admit they mistakenly pulled over a college student. But she still faces deportation
When police in Dalton, Georgia pulled over Ximena Arias-Cristobal, officers accused the 19-year-old college student of making an illegal right turn at a red light. She told officers she didn't have her international driver's license on her, according to a police report, and she was taken into custody. Then she was moved to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center roughly four hours away, and now she faces the possibility of being removed from the country along with her family. But local police this week admitted the officers made a mistake. After a review of dash cam footage from the traffic stop on May 5, '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,' according to a statement from the Dalton Police Department. Police and prosecutors dismissed the charges against her, but Donald Trump 's administration intends to remove her from the United States, where she has lived since she was four years old. Arias-Cristobal's parents did not have legal permission to enter the United States from Mexico in 2010 when she was a toddler, and she did not qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which ended the year before her family entered the country, according to family friends. She is now isolated from her family members — except one. Her father Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar was recently arrested after allegedly going 19 miles over the speed limit and is inside the same ICE detention center, according to online detention records reviewed by The Independent. 'The family will be able to return to Mexico together,' Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to The Independent following her arrest. 'Mr. Tovar had ample opportunity to seek a legal pathway to citizenship. He chose not to. We are not ignoring the rule of law,' she added. The Trump administration's CBP Home app 'is giving parents illegally in the country a chance to take full control of their departure and self-deport, with the potential ability to return the legal, right way and come back to live the American dream,' McLaughlin said. Her bond hearing is scheduled for May 20. During a news conference on Monday, Dalton's assistant chief of police Chris Crossen 'we certainly regret the circumstances that led us to where we are today.' 'After suffering for more than a week in police and ICE custody, it turns out this was all the result of a police mistake,' her attorney Dustin Baxter said in a statement. 'The tragedy of our system is that there is no immediate remedy for Ximena, as ICE does not care about fairness or justice,' he added. Arias-Cristobal is a recent graduate of Dalton High School and a cross country athlete now attending Dalton State College. She was enrolled for the spring 2025 semester, a college spokesperson told The Independent. Her arrest sparked outrage and ongoing protests throughout the Dalton community, and Republican state Representative Kacey Carpenter is pressing an immigration judge for her swift release. 'It's impossible. I mean, that's the argument that you hear all the time from people on the other side is, 'well, they've been here 15 years. Why haven't they become a citizen?' Because it's impossible,' Carpenter told NewsChannel 9. 'There is not a pathway for someone that is in America right now towards citizenship, unless they get married or they have a child, and the child grows up and the child's 18, then they can petition for their parents. But as far as an individual that's between the ages of four and 25, there's no pathway.' A GoFundMe established by family friend Hannah Jones, whose children Arias-Cristobol baby-sat for several years, has raised nearly $80,000 as of this publication. Dalton is a largely Republican-leaning part of the state, but Jones told The Independent last week that 'everyone knows this is wrong.' She is currently jailed inside Georgia's Stewart Detention Center, operated by private prison firm CoreCivic. At least 10 people died in the facility between 2017 and 2024, according to a report from the American Civil Liberties Union, which had previously criticized the facility for inadequate conditions and due process violations. Her arrest follows several high-profile cases across the country involving immigrant families with mixed legal statuses, as the president and immigration officials embark on a sweeping, aggressive anti-immigration agenda.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Twist in case of glamorous teenager, 19, detained by ICE after illegally turning at a red light
In a surprising turn of events, authorities have sensationally dropped the traffic charges that landed a 19-year-old college student in ICE custody — after cops admitted they mistakenly stopped the wrong car. Ximena Arias Cristobal, a Mexican-born student who has lived in the United States since she was four, was taken into ICE custody following a May 5 traffic stop in Dalton, Georgia, where she lives with her family. She was cited for making an improper turn and driving without a license, then booked into the Whitfield County Jail, a move that triggered her transfer to ICE custody. The Dalton Police Department and the city prosecutor, however, revealed they had reviewed dashcam footage from the stop and determined the officer had made a mistake. The vehicle that committed the traffic infraction was similar in appearance to the truck Arias Cristobal was driving, they said. Despite the charges being dropped, Arias Cristobal remains in ICE custody and is now facing deportation. She is being held at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, according to ICE's online detainee tracking system. Her father, Jose Francisco Arias Tovar, is also detained at the same facility. He was arrested by ICE last month following a separate traffic stop in Tunnel Hill, the family said. Ximena Arias Cristobal has lived in Georgia since she was four. But due to local law enforcement's strict coordination with ICE, she was swiftly transferred to Stewart after the May 5 traffic stop, according to ABC 9. The 19-year-old student was shackled at the wrists and ankles as she was brought into the facility, where she is expected to remain for over a month before appearing before a judge. After being pulled over, Arias Cristobal told the officer she had an international driver's license — but did not have it with her at the time. Online jail records show she was initially arrested for driving without a valid license and for failing to obey traffic control devices — both of which have now been dismissed. Arias Cristobal had previously attempted to apply for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) after arriving in the U.S. in 2010, but her mother said the program had ended a year before they crossed the border. DACA allowed undocumented children brought to the U.S. to apply for deportation deferral every two years. The program has been closed to new applicants for several years. During her booking at the jail, Arias Cristobal was asked about her immigration status — a routine part of intake at Whitfield County that often leads to ICE referrals. In a twist of fate, Arias Cristobal is being held in the same facility as her father, Jose Francisco Arias Tovar, who was detained in Tunnel Hill two weeks earlier for speeding. Attorney Terry Olsen warned the teen's mother may be next. 'It's likely Arias Cristobal's mother will be 'arrested or detained within a month or so,'' he said. Jones said Arias-Cristobal had babysat her children for years, and added: 'We adore her.' She told the outlet that the teenager is 'the most precious human' and believed her international license allowed her to drive legally Jones said Arias Cristobal had babysat her children for years and added, 'We adore her.' She also told the outlet the teen is 'the most precious human' and believed her international license allowed her to drive legally. Arias Cristobal's younger sister spoke emotionally about the family's journey: 'They came in with big dreams because they wanted a big future for my older sister. And, you know, my sister goes to college, and she was an honor student since middle school.' 'And she runs. She loves to run. It's her passion, and the only reason they came is to follow my sister's dreams,' her sister added. Their mother, speaking through the younger daughter, said: 'My dad has his own company, and they called a lawyer to see if they could get a job permit or a visa, and they said that they hadn't hit that status to get one yet.' Georgia State Representative Kacey Carpenter also weighed in, writing a letter on the teen's behalf: 'The reality is, the conversation has always been that we need to get hard criminals out of the country. 'Unfortunately, the people that aren't hard criminal are getting caught up in the wash. It seems like we are much better at catching people that [are] committing misdemeanors than people that are actually a danger to society.'
CBS News
13-05-2025
- CBS News
Officials drop traffic charges that led ICE to arrest 19-year-old Georgia teen
Dalton, Georgia — Local authorities in Dalton, Georgia, on Monday dismissed the traffic charges that led Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain a 19-year-old Mexican-born college student who has lived in the United States since she was 4. Ximena Arias Cristobal, who is in the country without authorization, was taken into ICE custody earlier this month after a May 5 traffic stop in Dalton, where she lives with her family. Local police cited her for making an improper turn and driving without a license before booking her into the Whitfield County Jail in Dalton, where she was picked up by ICE officers. But the Dalton Police Department and the city's prosecutor announced on Monday they had reviewed dashboard camera footage of the traffic stop and determined that the officer had stopped the wrong vehicle. Officials said the vehicle that made the improper turn was similar to the truck Arias Cristobal was driving. Arias Cristobal is now facing deportation and remains detained at the Stewart ICE detention facility in Lumpkin, Georgia, according to the agency's online system for tracking detainees. Her father, Jose Francisco Arias Tovar, is also being held there. ICE arrested him last month, also following a traffic stop, his family said. ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment on what actions, if any, it would take in response to the decision by authorities in Dalton to drop the traffic violations against Arias Cristobal. In a statement before Monday's announcement, Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, called Arias Cristobal an "illegal alien" who had "admitted to illegally entering the United States." McLaughlin said Arias Cristobal's father, Arias Tovar, "self-admitted that he is in the country illegally." Federal officials have not disputed that Arias Cristobal and her father lack criminal records. "[The] family will be able to return to Mexico together," McLaughlin said in her statement. "Mr. Tovar had ample opportunity to seek a legal pathway to citizenship. He chose not to. We are not ignoring the rule of law." According to her family, Arias Cristobal came to the U.S. in 2010 and graduated from Dalton's high school last year. She did not qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program for other undocumented immigrant "Dreamers" who came to the U.S. as minors because she arrived after the policy's June 2007 cutoff date. During a press conference on Monday, Chris Crosser, the assistant Dalton police chief, expressed regret about his agency's mistake. But he said he could not opine on how ICE should treat Arias Cristobal's case going forward, given the new information. He said local officials notified her lawyers of the dismissed charges but did not alert ICE. "It's a very regrettable place that we are right here, that we've ended up in this place with the way this unfolded and the way it turned out," Crosser said, adding that an internal review of the incident is ongoing. Arias Cristobal's lawyers said their client is likely to remain in ICE custody for now, even after the dismissal of the charges, since federal officials are holding her because she's in the U.S. without legal permission. They said she has a bond hearing scheduled for next week. Arias Cristobal's arrest is one of several high-profile cases of undocumented immigrants being arrested by ICE during the Trump administration, despite living in the country for many years and lacking criminal histories. Soon after President Trump took office, his administration dramatically expanded who could face arrest and deportation, reversing Biden-era rules that largely limited ICE operations to arrests of serious criminals, national security threats and recent arrivals in the U.S. illegally. While Trump administration officials have said they will prioritize the arrest of dangerous individuals who are in the U.S. unlawfully, they have stressed that no one will be protected from deportation if they lack valid immigration documents.
