Ximena Arias-Cristobal Released On Bond After Mistaken Arrest

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Ximena Arias-Cristobal was released after posting $1500 bond, having been arrested by police 5 May 2025 for a traffic violation committed by another vehicle and driving without a license, then handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention as an undocumented immigrant.

When her parents entered the USA without authorization, they brought her with them. She was four years old. She is now a 19 year old student at Dalton State College. She falls into a gap between programs had no legal avenue to become an authorized immigrant, let alone a citizen. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ended before she reached an age where she could apply.

She took final exams at the college after being released, but did not register for the next semester. She said she is “not in the right headspace” for it and feels targeted in her own community now.

The federal Department of Homeland Security said it will order her to “self-deport” to Mexico.

Her lawyers are now looking into whether being subjected to false arrest now makes her a victim of a crime and therefore eligible to apply for a U-visa. It takes years to obtain one and the number of them that can be awarded is limited, but having one would give her permission to remain in the USA. It would also open a path to permanent legal residency.

Her father Jose Arias-Tovar was arrested separately for a traffic offense not long before her arrest and is also fighting against deportation.

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