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Georgia college student remains in ICE custody after mistaken traffic stop

2:00
Georgia college student faces deportation after mistaken traffic stop
WTVC
ByLeah Sarnoff, Jason M. Volack, and Armando Garcia
May 13, 2025, 1:05 AM

A 19-year-old college student from Georgia remains in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after a traffic stop led to her detainment, records show.

Ximena Arias-Cristobal was arrested on May 5 in Dalton, Georgia, when her dark gray truck was mistaken for a black pickup that made an illegal turn.

The Dalton Police Department announced on Monday that a review of dash cam video showed she was not the driver who committed the traffic violation and all charges against her have been dropped.

City officials -- including the city administrator, prosecuting attorney and city attorney -- confirmed the stop was in error and notified Arias-Cristobal's legal team.

A 19-year-old college student from Georgia remains in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after a mistaken traffic violation led to her detainment, records show.
WTVC

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Despite the dismissal of charges on Monday, the 19-year-old Dalton State College student had been taken into ICE custody following the traffic stop and remained in custody on Monday, triggering concerns about her immigration status.

Arias-Cristobal, who is undocumented, has lived in Whitfield County since she was 4 years old, her family told ABC News' Tennessee affiliate WTVC.

Her family said that Arias-Cristobal was not eligible to register in the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program because it had ended.

Arias-Cristobal is being held at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, ICE records show.

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Her attorney, Charles Kuck, said in a statement to ABC News that despite the charges being dropped, Arias-Cristobal is "inside the Trump deportation machinery" and is still facing deportation.

Arias-Cristobal has a bond hearing next week, her attorney said.

According to WTVC, Arias-Cristobal's father, Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar, was similarly detained by police in Tunnel Hill, Georgia, two weeks ago for going 19 miles over the speed limit.

The family told the outlet that he is being housed at the same ICE detention center.

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