A Georgia college student who was detained by ICE after a mistaken traffic arrest has spoken out after being released from a federal detention center on Thursday night, saying the experience “changed” her as a person.
Ximena Arias-Cristobal, 19, a Dalton State student, said the ordeal was “terrifying” while calling the ensuing outpouring of support for her a “blessing.”
"My life won't be the same," she said, according to 11Alive.
"I think it's changed me as a person, like I said, I guess be more humble, understand people more, and just be able to see the people around you."
Arias-Cristobal may still face deportation proceedings, however.
She said that her next steps would be to find a visa or permit that would allow her to remain in the U.S. The 19-year-old has grown up in the country since her family entered illegally when she was 4 years old.
Her mother previously told the local outlet that the family came to the U.S. in 2010 from Mexico, and that because of her age at the time, she was not eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program when it remained in place.
Arias-Cristobal was mistakenly arrested when an officer wrongly stopped her when a separate driver made a right turn at a “no right turn on red” light, the city of Dalton said after reviewing dashcam footage. She said the dropped charges “opens more doors for me, so we will have to see what happens there."
Her lawyer, Dustin Baxter, has said that if they can prove that her arrest was because of profiling, "we may make the argument with immigration that she qualifies for a U Visa."
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services site states that such visas are handed to people who are victims of "certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.”
Baxter added that Arias-Cristobal’s father, who was detained at the same time as his daughter, is applying for “cancellation of removal.”
The attorney added that since the father has been in the country for over 10 years, has children who are citizens, and has displayed “good moral character,” he has a case to put forward to an immigration judge.
"Ximena, however, does not have any qualifying relative. She does not have a U.S. citizen spouse, parent, or child," Baxter said earlier, according to 11Alive.
"What we're going to try and do is link her case to her father. So therefore, if her father is granted permanent resident status by winning his case, she would have that qualifying relative, and she would conceivably be approved for permanent residence as well."
The 19-year-old described the last few weeks as a "burst of emotions — I was mad, I was confused, but most of all ... I realized that everything that was happening was a blessing in disguise.”
She said the support for her, such as protests in Atlanta, has been "incredible, I would've never thought that this would've happened, the support, it's a blessing, and I'm very, very thankful for everybody that's been out here supporting me and pouring out their hearts for my family."
Arias-Cristobal said she wouldn’t wish her detention “on my worst enemy.”
"It's the conditions and the unknown, it's not knowing what's going to happen to me, knowing that I could be sent back to a country that I don't know, having to be torn apart from my family," she added.
"It's also the conditions — you don't get much privacy, you get screamed at for every little thing, the food is horrible, they don't pay attention to you, you get sick, and they don't care."
She said one of the most challenging things about her detention was not being able to speak to her father despite them being at the same facility.
"It was terrifying, and it was sad at the same time because I had asked various times to speak to my father, see him, and I wasn't allowed to," she said, according to 11Alive.
"More than anything, I felt a lot of pressure on my shoulder, knowing that my mom was out here on her own with two little kids, and it was very heartbreaking."
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