A 19-year-old Georgia college student, Ximena Arias-Cristobal, remains in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody following a mistaken traffic stop by Dalton police on May 5. Authorities have acknowledged that the stop was an error. Dashcam footage revealed that the officer confused her dark gray Dodge truck with a black pickup that had committed a traffic violation. Despite all charges being dropped, Arias-Cristobal, who has lived in the U.S. since age 4 and is undocumented, is detained at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. Her father, also undocumented, is held at the same facility after a separate traffic stop. A bond hearing is scheduled for May 20 to argue for her release ahead of a future immigration hearing.

Community members and immigration advocates have expressed concern over the incident, highlighting the challenges faced by undocumented individuals brought to the U.S. as children. Arias-Cristobal’s attorney emphasized the disproportionate consequences of the mistaken stop, noting that it may cost her legal residency.