Georgia Student Detained, Faces Deportation After Traffic Stop

Ximena Arias-Cristobal, a 19-year-old college student who has lived in Georgia since age four, faces deportation after being pulled over for making an improper right turn and driving without a valid license. After her arrest, she was processed through Whitfield County Jail, which participates in ICE's 287(g) program, and transferred to Stewart Detention Center, where her father is also detained following a prior speeding violation. The family, originally from Mexico City, has been in the U.S. for nearly 15 years without legal status, and Arias-Cristobal did not qualify for DACA due to arriving after the program's cutoff date. Her detention has left her mother and two younger siblings without support as she awaits an immigration hearing. The Stewart Detention Center, where she is reportedly held in shackles, has faced criticism for its conditions and treatment of detainees. The case has drawn attention to the harsh consequences of local-federal immigration enforcement collaborations in Georgia.