A Georgia police officer has resigned following public uproar over the wrongful arrest of a 19 year old undocumented college student, Ximena Arias-Cristobal, which led to her being held in federal immigration detention for over two weeks and now facing possible deportation.
Officer Leslie O’Neal of the Dalton Police Department pulled over Arias-Cristobal on May 5, accusing her of making an improper turn. The charges were later dismissed when police admitted it was a case of mistaken identity. However, by the time the charges were dropped, Arias-Cristobal, who was driving with a Mexican license, had already been turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and transferred to the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.
The traffic stop and subsequent detention sparked national outrage, with immigration advocates and civil rights groups rallying for Arias-Cristobal’s release. Her story quickly gained traction online, prompting both support and opposition. A GoFundMe campaign launched for her legal defense has since raised more than $90,000.
Officer O’Neal resigned from his post on Friday. While the Dalton Police Department has not released a statement regarding his departure, a resignation letter shared on Facebook by O’Neal’s wife indicated that the officer felt unsupported by the department amidst public backlash.
“The department’s silence in the face of widespread defamation has not only made my position personally untenable,” O’Neal wrote, “but has also created an environment where I can no longer effectively carry out my duties.”
Arias-Cristobal’s immigration status adds another layer of complexity. Brought to the United States from Mexico in 2007 at the age of four, she narrowly missed qualifying for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which would have granted her temporary protection from deportation.
During her arrest, dash-cam footage captured Arias-Cristobal pleading with the officer: “I cannot go to jail. I have my finals next week. My family depends on this.”
The incident has reignited controversy over Georgia’s involvement in federal immigration enforcement. The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees Dalton’s local jail, operates under a 287(g) contract, a federal partnership program that deputizes local officers to perform immigration enforcement duties. A law signed last year by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp now requires all state law enforcement agencies to apply for such contracts.
Immigration advocacy groups have decried the law as a vehicle for racial profiling and community harm. “It terrorizes immigrant communities and wastes local resources,” said the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights in a statement.
Arias-Cristobal’s father, José Arias-Tovar, was also recently detained by ICE following a separate traffic stop. He was released on bond on May 16. Arias-Cristobal followed five days later, posting a $1,500 bond. She returned home to her family last Thursday.
Her attorney, Dustin Baxter, says they are working toward a permanent solution. “We’re going to keep working on her case to try to keep her here permanently,” he told WSB-TV.
Still, some conservative voices, including Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, have taken a hardline stance. “It’s important for our nation, for our sovereignty, for us to uphold the law,” Greene said in an interview with Local 3 News, suggesting Arias-Cristobal and her family should “thrive” in Mexico.
The Stewart Detention Center, where Arias-Cristobal was held, is operated by CoreCivic under a federal contract and has long been criticized for its conditions and alleged rights violations.
