Dalton cop steps down after ICE detains student wrongfully arrested over traffic stop

A Dalton police officer has stepped down from his position after mistakenly arresting a 19-year-old undocumented student, which resulted in her ICE detention, as confirmed by a city spokesperson to CBS News on Saturday.Bruce Frazier, speaking for the City of Dalton, provided no additional details about the officer's departure or the reasons behind it, declining to identify the officer by name.The officer's departure follows an incident on May 5 when he mistakenly pulled over Ximena Arias Cristobal for making an improper turn and driving without a license before booking her into the Whitfield County Jail in Dalton from where ICE officials took her into custody.A review of the dashboard camera recordings revealed that a different vehicle, similar to Arias Cristobal's truck, had made the improper turn. Consequently, authorities dropped the traffic charges against her on May 12.The recorded conversation between the officer and Arias Cristobal included:"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.Police dashcam footage documented the Dalton Police Department officer arresting Arias Cristobal on May 5, 2025, in Dalton, Georgia, on misdemeanour traffic charges, which were subsequently dismissed.Arias Cristobal, who arrived in the US from Mexico at age 4, remained in ICE custody at a Lumpkin detention facility from early May until May 22, when she received bond from an immigration judge.Her father, also detained by ICE in April following a traffic stop, was held at the same Lumpkin facility before receiving bond and release last week.The Department of Homeland Security has indicated that both face potential deportation to Mexico. ICE has initiated deportation proceedings against Arias Cristobal in immigration court.DHS maintains that Arias Cristobal and her father should face repercussions for their unauthorised presence in the US.