DALTON, GA — A 19-year-old Dalton college student who was mistakenly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now back home with her family and sharing her experience in federal custody.
Ximena Arias-Cristobal, who was taken into custody following a traffic stop she says she wasn’t involved in, was recently released on bond. Her next immigration hearing has not yet been scheduled, but she is no longer on the deportation docket at this time.
Arias-Cristobal, who was brought to the U.S. from Mexico by her family at the age of four, says she was confused and overwhelmed during the entire process. “I really didn’t understand what was happening when I was taken to the facility,” she said.
She described being left alone in a room for hours during processing. “As I was being transported, I stopped at some offices in Atlanta. They had me in a room by myself for nine hours,” she recalled.
The teen also criticized the conditions inside the ICE holding facility, saying, “They don’t pay attention to you. You get sick and they don’t care.”
Now back in Dalton with her family, Arias-Cristobal is continuing her college education as her case adds to ongoing conversations about immigration enforcement and mistaken detentions.
WSB’s Ashley Simmons contributed to this story