ATLANTA — The undocumented Georgia college student who was sent to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center is back home.
A federal judge granted Ximena Arias-Cristobal bond on Wednesday. Action News Jax’s Atlanta station WSB-TV talked to the 19 year old about her experience inside the detention center.
In a telephone interview, Arias-Cristobal sounded optimistic as she spoke about life after her experience.
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Arias-Cristobal is now headed home after spending more than 15 days inside an ICE detention center and being granted a $1,500 bond.
“Even with all the bad and a situation that no one wants to be in, I’m super grateful to have experienced what I’ve experienced,” Arias-Cristobal told Washington.
The college student’s case has made national headlines after Dalton police mistakenly pulled her over for a traffic violation.
Police charged the Whitfield County teen with making an illegal right turn. They later admitted that they pulled over the wrong car.
However, during the stop, officers learned Arias-Cristobal was in the country illegally.
ICE planned to deport her.
Arias-Cristobal has lived in the United States since her parents brought her from Mexico at just 4 years old.
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“We’re going to keep working on her case to try to keep her here permanently,” Arias-Cristobal’s attorney, Dustin Baxter, said. “She doesn’t have a permanent relative or citizen, spouse, parent or child. But if Dad wins his case, then she would have that qualifying relative.”
Baxter said the family posted bond, and Arias-Cristobal was released from ICE custody..
“It changed me as a person,” Arias-Cristobal told WSB-TV.
Baxter said it took immigration about three hours to process the bond payment.
Arias-Cristobal arrived back at her home late Wednesday night.
After her arrest, a GoFundMe page was created to help her with legal expenses. As of Friday morning, it had raised nearly $93,000.
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