The Department of Homeland Security is defending the detainment of a Georgia college student who is in the U.S. illegally after she was pulled over for traffic violations and arrested.
Ximena Arias-Cristobal, a 19-year-old Mexican national, was arrested by police in Dalton, Georgia, on May 5 after illegally turning right on red and driving without a license, according to an arrest report obtained by WTVC in Chattanooga.
The report states that Arias-Cristobal does not have a driver’s license, but she does have an international license, which her mother had taken from her. She was arrested by the officer and taken to the Whitfield County Jail before being transferred to the Stewart Detention Center – a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility – in Southwest Georgia.
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Arias-Cristobal admitted to being in the U.S. illegally and does not have an application pending with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to DHS.
A GoFundMe set up to raise money for bond and an immigration attorney says the girl came to the U.S. with her parents in 2010 when she was 4 years old. The fundraiser, which was set up by a woman who Arias-Cristobal babysits for, says she did not qualify for DACA.
“She has babysat for my kids for years. We adore her. Ximena is my close friend and my children’s favorite babysitter,” Hannah Jones wrote in the description.
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Arias-Cristobal’s father, 43-year-old Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar, is also at the same ICE facility after he was arrested for speeding and driving without a license. DHS said he also admitted to being in the U.S. illegally.
“The family will be able to return to Mexico together. Mr. Tovar had ample opportunity to seek a legal pathway to citizenship. He chose not to. We are not ignoring the rule of law,” DHS said.
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The agency reiterated that many people in the U.S. illegally are being given the chance to self-deport via the Customs and Border Protection Home app, which would allow them to return to America in the future through legal avenues.
Fox News Digital reached out to Dalton police and ICE for comment.
