DALTON, Ga. — A traffic stop has landed a Georgia college student in ICE custody and is now facing the possibility of being deported.
To make things worse, her father is already in ICE custody.
Dalton police pulled over Ximena Arias-Cristobal for making an improper turn at a stoplight.
Officers said she didn’t have the proper license on her at the time.
“And then Monday, when she was arrested, we were all just blindsided,” family friend Hannah Jones told WTVC-TV.
It’s a similar story for Arias-Cristobal’s father. He was pulled over for speeding in Tunnel Hill. He did not have a license on him.
The father and daughter are now at the Stewart Detention Center near Columbus in ICE custody.
“My mother, I’ve been helping her out because she doesn’t know English, and it’s just a lot of weight on us both, because my little sister, well, she can’t help out a lot, because she’s only nine,” Aurora Arias, Ximena’s younger sister said. “When my dad left, well, it was only her and my older sister to help out with the family, and now that they took her away, it’s only her.”
TRENDING STORIES:
- Moderate threat of damaging hail, low chance of tornadoes this evening
- ‘It’s a hard pill to swallow’: Law enforcement recruits dying during training
- Woman in critical condition, another pistol-whipped after shooting at DeKalb apartment complex
Arias-Cristobal and her parents came to the U.S. from Mexico in 2010. Family members told WTVC that her father had a hard time getting a work visa.
“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,” Aurora Arias said.
Ximena was 4 years old at the time. Her family said the DACA program stopped accepting new applications before Arias-Cristobal was eligible.
Immigration attorney Terry Olsen said there are few options for kids in Arias-Cristobal’s position.
“Most individuals who could only qualify for DACA or who entered illegally are not going to have any pathway,” Olsen said.
Jones set up a GoFundMe account to help with Arias-Cristobal’s legal fees and has raised over $61,000 so far.
In a post on the page, it said: “Ximena is in good spirits in Stewart, and her attorney has already filed a motion for bond. He thinks she will be home by the middle of next week! We are formulating plans for a rally and will update you all soon.”
©2025 Cox Media Group
