College Student Lands in ICE Detention After Alleged Illegal Red Light Turn


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Key Details

Ximena Arias-Cristobal, a 19-year-old college student living in Georgia since age 4, was detained by ICE after a traffic stop for an alleged illegal right turn. Her father, Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar, was also detained two weeks prior for speeding. Both are being held in Lumpkin, Georgia.

Family Background and Concerns

The family, originally from Mexico City, entered the U.S. illegally in 2010. Ximena's mother admits to this but states she has no criminal record and pays taxes. A GoFundMe campaign has raised nearly $43,000 for legal representation and bond. Concerns are raised about the family's separation and the mother's potential future arrest.

Legal and Political Ramifications

Ximena was arrested for driving without a valid license and disregarding traffic control devices. The Whitfield County jail has an agreement with ICE allowing the agency to detain undocumented individuals. State Representative Kacey Carpenter advocates for leniency, highlighting the potential issues with targeting non-violent offenders.

Similar Cases and Broader Context

The article mentions other instances of ICE actions, including the deportation of a husband and wife with three young children (two being US citizens), and the alleged abduction of a 2-year-old girl after her parents' deportation. These incidents bring broader concerns regarding the Trump administration's immigration policies into question.

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A college student was thrown into ICE detention with chains around her wrists and ankles after a minor driving violation, according to local news reports.

Ximena Arias-Cristobal, 19, was accused of making an illegal right turn at a red light in Dalton, Georgia, on Monday. The teen, who has lived in Georgia since she was 4, now faces a month before seeing a judge, and possible deportation.

Her father, Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar, was also scooped up as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. He was detained two weeks ago after being caught doing 19 miles over the speed limit in nearby Tunnel Hill.

The two family members are being housed in the same Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility located in Lumpkin, Georgia, a three-and-a-half-hour drive from their hometown.

“Her mother and two younger siblings are now without two family members/incomes,” a GoFundMe fundraiser set up by a friend of the Dalton State College student states.

WTVC-TV obtained a police report of the traffic stop that landed Arias-Cristobal in an ICE detention center, with Dalton Police telling the station that the student was pulled over after she allegedly disregarded a “no turn on red” sign.

Ximena Arias-Cristobal, 19, is at Stewart Detention Center. Whitfield Co. Sheriff's Office

It said Dalton Police asked the teenager for her driver’s license. She told the officers that she had an international driver’s license, but didn‘t have it on her person at the time of the stop, according to the report. State law requires non-citizens to have a valid Georgia driver’s license within 30 days of becoming a resident.

Court records show that she was then arrested for driving without a valid license and failure to obey traffic control devices, according to WTVC-TV. Cops took her to Whitfield County jail before she was handed over to ICE.

The jail has an agreement with ICE which means the agency can “identify and process removable aliens.”

Hannah Jones, who told WTVC-TV that Arias-Cristobal has been working with her family as a babysitter, says the student’s parents came from Mexico City to the Dalton region in 2010.

Her mother admitted to WTVC-TV that the family came to the country illegally. She said, however, that she has no criminal record and pays taxes.

Her younger sister told the outlet that the family were chasing the American dream. “They came in with big dreams because they wanted a big future for my older sister,” she said. “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.”

She added that her father owns a company but he was unable to obtain a “job permit or visa.”

Republican Georgia state Rep. Kacey Carpenter was among those appealing for leniency in Ximena’s case, writing a letter on her behalf to the judge overseeing her case.

“The reality is, the conversation has always been that we need to get hard criminals out of the country,” Carpneter told WTVC-TV. “Unfortunately, the people that aren‘t hard criminals 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,” Carpneter added.

Terry Olsen, an immigration attorney, told the station that Ximena’s mother will most likely be arrested soon. Her other children will be “removed” with her to avoid splitting the family up, Olsen claimed.

Donald Trump's promised mass deportation is being driven by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Alex Brandon/Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS

A GoFundMe set up to raise money for an immigration attorney and bond has so far raised almost $43,000.

It comes after ICE deported a husband and wife to Mexico with their three young kids, even though two youngest of them are U.S. citizens. The Trump administration was also accused by Venezuela of the “abduction” of a 2-year-old girl after her migrant parents were deported without her.

Homeland Security has been contacted for comment.

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