After a Georgia teen was pulled over by law enforcement for failing to adhere to traffic laws, she and her entire family now face deportation after police discovered she has been living in the U.S. illegally since the age of four.
According to the Western Journal, Ximena Arias Cristobal, 19, was arrested after she failed to obey a traffic light and was found to be driving without a license.
The Department of Homeland Security posted about the case on X.
“Arias Tovar, a 43-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested for speeding and driving without a license. Arias Tovar self-admitted that he is in the country illegally,” the post said. “His daughter, Ximena Arias Cristobal, a 19-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested on May 5, 2025, by the Dalton Police Department for failing to obey a traffic light and driving without a license.”
“She admitted to illegally entering the United States and has no pending applications with USCIS. The family will be able to return to Mexico together,” the post continued.
It added that there had been ample time for the Tovar family to adjust their status.
“Mr. Tovar had ample opportunity to seek a legal pathway to citizenship. He chose not to. We are not ignoring the rule of law. Through the CBP Home App — the Trump Administration is giving parents illegally in the country a chance to take full control of their departure and self-deport, with the potential ability to return the legal, right way and come back to live the American dream,” the post concluded.
When Arias Cristobal was asked for her license, she claimed to have an international driver’s license but said it was not with her. She was ultimately charged with driving without a valid license and failure to obey traffic control devices.
While being processed at the Whitfield County jail, Arias Cristobal was asked her immigration status and was taken to a detention center where her father is currently being held for deportation after he was arrested for driving 19 miles over the speed limit.
According to ABC News Channel 9, Georgia State Representative Kacey Carpenter (R) wrote a letter on Arias-Cristobal’s behalf to be read to the judge in her case.
“The reality is, the conversation has always been that we need to get hard criminals out of the country,” Carpenter said. “Unfortunately, the people that aren’t hard criminals are getting caught up in the wash. It seems like we are much better at catching people that are committing misdemeanors than people that are actually a danger to society.”
