“My Finals are Next Week” – Police officer resigns after wrongful stop of undocumented teen turned to ICE sparks outrage
The Georgia police officer who initiated a traffic stop that led to the detention of a 19-year-old undocumented college student by ICE has stepped down from his role, according to confirmation from the city of Dalton shared with CBS News on Saturday.
Bruce Frazier, a representative for the city, confirmed in an email that the officer involved had officially resigned. However, he noted that the Dalton Police Department had “no statement” regarding the officer’s resignation and said, “I also don’t have info on his reason for resigning.” The officer’s identity was not revealed in the correspondence.
The resignation follows an incident on May 5, when the officer conducted a traffic stop involving Ximena Arias Cristobal, citing her for making an improper turn and driving without a license. She was then booked into the Whitfield County Jail, where ICE agents later took her into custody.
Upon further investigation, dashboard camera footage from the police vehicle revealed that the improper turn had been made by a different truck that resembled the one Arias Cristobal had been driving. On May 12, officials dismissed all charges related to the traffic stop.
"You ever been to jail?," the officer can heard asking Arias Cristobal in the dashcam footage.
"No, sir," she responded.
"Well, you're going," the officer said.
"I cannot go to jail. I have my finals next week. My family depends on this," Arias Cristobal said.
Arias Cristobal, originally from Mexico, has lived in the United States since she was four years old. She had been held in ICE custody since early May after the agency took her from the Dalton jail to a detention facility in Lumpkin, Georgia.
An immigration judge granted her bond, and she was released on May 22.
Her father had also been detained by ICE back in April after a separate traffic stop. He too had been held in Lumpkin and was released the week prior after being granted bond.
Despite their release, both Arias Cristobal and her father are still subject to deportation, according to a statement previously issued by the Department of Homeland Security. ICE has initiated removal proceedings against Arias Cristobal in immigration court.
DHS maintains that the two should face “consequences” for their undocumented status in the country.
Sources:
www.cbsnews.com/news/georgia-teen-arrested-ice-resignation-dalton
abcnews.go.com/US/georgia-officer-resigns-ximena-arias-cristobal-ice-case
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/24/us/dalton-officer-resigns-ice-detention.html
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