Ximena Arias-Cristobal was taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after what should have been a routine traffic stop turned into a life-altering nightmare, reported 11Alive. It happened on 5 May when officers from the Dalton Police Department claimed she’d made an improper turn and was driving without a valid licence.
But just a week later, the charges were dropped. Police admitted they’d actually stopped the wrong vehicle. Still, Arias-Cristobal wasn’t let go. ICE kept her locked up, saying she was in the country illegally.
Ximena, originally from Mexico, has lived in the US since she was just four. She’s currently studying at Dalton State Community College but missed out on protection under the DACA programme due to changes in the application process after lawsuits halted new entries. Now, even though her charges were thrown out, she faces deportation.
Her lawyer, Dustin Baxter, confirmed on Wednesday that Ximena had finally been granted bond at the lowest legal amount—$1,500. The government chose not to appeal the judge’s decision.
“The judge had reviewed Ximena’s case in detail and determined that Ximena is in fact not a flight risk or a danger to the community in the least,” Baxter said. “The family will pay the bond ASAP and Ximena will be home with her family tomorrow afternoon at the latest.”
For the past few weeks, Ximena has been held at the Stewart Detention Center in rural Lumpkin, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from her home. Adding to the heartbreak, her father, José Arias Tovar, was also detained there after being stopped by police in a separate incident just weeks earlier.
He was released on bond last week but said knowing his daughter was still behind bars made his freedom feel hollow. “I can say, my body walks away, but my heart stays there. It’s very sad,” he said through tears in Spanish.
He described his daughter as a hard-working student with a bright future ahead of her in the US. “I know a lot of people think bad things about us because we broke some immigration laws. I understand that. But when we come here, we fall in love. We love this country,” he said. “We are ready to build America together. We’re just looking for one chance to stay here with my family, because we are good workers. We are not criminals.”
Her mother, Ndaihita Cristobal, said the silence at home had been unbearable. “I was crying because in my house I felt a very, very strong loneliness, a sadness,” she told NBC News. “Every morning we would have breakfast together. But she’s no longer with me.”
Despite the family’s emotional ordeal, the Department of Homeland Security stuck to its position. “Both father and daughter were in this country illegally,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. She added that ICE is offering individuals like them $1,000 each and a free flight to voluntarily leave the US.
The ordeal may not be over yet, but for now, Ximena will at least be home, though not free from the fear of deportation hanging over her and her family.