Teen Ends Up at Same ICE Detention Center as Her Father After Being Detained During Traffic Stops Weeks Apart

A 19-year-old college student living in Georgia was taken into ICE custody and wound up being sent to the same immigration detention center as her father just weeks after they were separately arrested during routine traffic stops.

Ximena Arias-Cristobal, a Dalton State College student and former high school honors athlete, was born in Mexico and has been living in Georgia with her family since she was 4, according to News Channel 9.

Her family settled in Whitfield County in 2010, and her father, Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar, started a construction company. Both parents are undocumented, and Ximena was not eligible for the DACA program due to it no longer accepting new applications.

On May 5, Ximena was pulled over in Dalton for turning right on red despite a posted sign. She was arrested for driving without a valid license and failing to obey traffic signage.

Because Whitfield County participates in a "Jail Enforcement Model" with ICE, her residency status was flagged during booking. She was transferred to the Stewart Detention Center — the same ICE facility where her father had been sent just two weeks earlier after being arrested for speeding.

Now facing possible deportation, the 19-year-old will wait more than a month before appearing before an immigration judge. Her family, community members and local lawmakers have rallied in her support, raising over $20,000 for legal fees.

Georgia state Rep. Kacey Carpenter has written on her behalf, expressing concern over the use of minor infractions to justify detaining non-criminal immigrants.