‘I’m very happy’: Dalton teen returns home after release from ICE custody
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A Dalton teen who has been in ICE custody for weeks was reunited with her family overnight.
Ximena Arias-Cristobal, 19, was detained after being arrested during a wrongful traffic stop in Dalton in early May, which eventually led to the discovery of her undocumented status.
Her charges have been dropped, and an immigration judge granted her bond on Wednesday.
Cameras captured the moment Arias-Cristobal saw her family again, a homecoming filled with hugs and tears.
“I’m very happy,” she said. “I’m very blessed to be back with my family.”
Before her return, Arias-Cristobal’s friends and family prepared for her arrival on Thursday, decorating her bedroom with all her favorite things.
“I know we all really miss her, and what really breaks my heart is when we’re out together and I know Ximena could be with us, but she’s somewhere where she wouldn’t want to be,” Emilie Meza, a friend, said.
WRDW’s sister station Atlanta News First witnessed the first moments Arias-Cristobal walked out of the ICE Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, on Thursday night. We saw hugs, tears and smiles as Arias-Cristobal spoke with her family through a video call.
Defense chief cracks down amid military moving mess
We’ve been exposing problems with the company that’s supposed to be in charge of military moves. And now some top brass appears to be out of a job.
Shortly after the call around 9:30 p.m., she started the journey back home to Dalton, which is more than 200 miles north of Lumpkin.
Arias-Cristobal’s father, Jose Arias Tovar, was inside the same detention center after a traffic stop arrest. The teen said she wasn’t able to see him, an experience she found frightening.
She also spoke out against conditions at the detention center, describing everything from bad food and untreated illnesses to frequent yelling and a lack of privacy.
“It’s not knowing what’s going to happen to me,” Arias-Cristobal added. “Knowing that I could be sent back to a country that I don’t know. Having to be torn apart from my family.”
Before his daughter came home, Arias Tovar anxiously waited to see her pull into the driveway. He was released from detention last week and hadn’t seen her in more than a month.
“It’s a hard time for me,” he said. “It’s a hard time for her because we have a special connection.”
GBI says twin brothers died in double suicide on Ga. mountain
The deaths of two brothers found on Bell Mountain in March have been ruled a double suicide, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Despite being undocumented, Arias-Cristobal has been in the United States since she was 4 years old.
Arias Tovar said he hopes his family’s future is in Georgia, not deportation.
“We’ve got 15 years here in Dalton, a bunch of from the community, so we want to stay here,” he said.
Arias-Cristobal is trying to get a U.S. visa. Her attorney said the next court hearing is scheduled for early 2026.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
