WASHINGTON — A Georgia college student who was pulled over by mistake and then taken into ICE custody spoke Thursday before Senate Democrats at a forum on immigration.
Ximena Arias-Cristobal was pulled over by an officer in May. After her arrest, Dalton police said that the wrong vehicle was stopped. They say the officer involved intended to stop another vehicle that had made an illegal right turn.
The 19-year-old spent more than two weeks in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody before being granted a $1,500 bond.
“What happened to me is not rare. It’s part of a growing pattern that is both scary and un-American. And I know I am not alone in thinking that I live in an overwhelmingly conservative community,” Arias-Cristobal told the panel.
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The college student went on to talk about her experience of being housed at the Steward Detention Center outside of Columbus.
“Being held in jail, even just for two days, was traumatizing. I was surrounded by people who had committed serious crimes, but what left the deepest mark on me was the transfer being shackled at the wrist, waist, and ankles. That is something I will never forget. It was dehumanizing, and what’s worse is knowing that millions of others have experienced and will continue to experience the same trauma,” Arias-Cristobal said. “Detention centers are supposed to be temporary holding spaces while people determine their legal options, but at Stewart, we are treated like criminals, the conditions, the language used towards us, the lack of dignity and compassion. It felt more like punishment than due process.”
Arias-Cristobal was brought to the U.S. from Mexico by her parents when she was 4 years old. She said by the time she was of age, it was too late to apply for DACA.
“My dream is to one day become a U.S. citizen. I was not eligible for DACA, but if I had been, I would have applied without hesitation,” Arias-Cristobal said. “No one should have to go through what I did. We need a system that reflects our values of justice, dignity, and due process, instead of arrests, detentions, and threats of deportation. Wouldn’t it be better if we had the chance to become legal American citizens?”
The officer who initially arrested Arias-Cristobal eventually resigned from the Dalton Police Department.
Arias-Cristobal and her attorney are working to help her gain American citizenship.
The Department of Homeland Security has said it still intends on trying to deport Arias-Cristobal.
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