US policeman resigns for wrongfully detaining undocumented teen
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A Georgia officer resigned after wrongfully arresting an undocumented teen who spent two weeks in ICE detention and now faces deportation.
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Dalton Police Department in Georgia is among several local law enforcement agencies with ICE partnerships. (AFP)
A Georgia police officer has resigned after wrongfully arresting an undocumented college student, triggering her detention in a federal immigration facility for more than two weeks and leaving her facing deportation. The officer, Leslie O’Neal of the Dalton Police Department, pulled over 19-year-old Ximena Arias-Cristobal on May 5 for what he alleged was an improper turn. The charges were later dropped after authorities admitted he had mistaken her car for another.
By the time the error was acknowledged, Arias-Cristobal, a student and undocumented immigrant who was brought to the US from Mexico in 2007, had already been turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The incident ignited public outcry, intensified criticism of Georgia's partnership with ICE under the 287(g) program, and underscored the risks undocumented residents face during routine police encounters.
O’Neal’s resignation was announced Friday. While the Dalton city government did not comment on the reason, a Facebook post by his wife, retrieved by The Guardian, included his resignation letter. In it, O’Neal cited a lack of institutional support, “The department’s silence in the face of widespread defamation has not only made my position personally untenable but has also created an environment where I can no longer effectively carry out my duties within the city of Dalton without fear of further backlash from the community.”
The arrest and detention of Arias-Cristobal, who does not qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program due to the date of her arrival, quickly made national headlines. Footage from the arrest showed her pleading with the officer, “I cannot go to jail. I have my finals next week. My family depends on this.”
Mistaken stop leads to ICE detention
Following her arrest, Arias-Cristobal was transferred to the Stewart detention center in Lumpkin, Georgia, a privately operated facility run by CoreCivic under contract with ICE. The center has long faced accusations of abuse and poor conditions.
She was released after paying a $1,500 bond on May 21, five days after her father, José Arias-Tovar, was also released from ICE detention following a separate traffic stop.
Arias-Cristobal’s attorney, Dustin Baxter, told WSB-TV, “We’re going to keep working on her case to try to keep her here permanently.” Her family, local activists, and immigration advocates have mobilized rapidly to support her legal defense.
The case has shed light on Georgia’s aggressive immigration enforcement framework. Whitfield County, which operates the jail serving Dalton, has a 287(g) contract with ICE, an arrangement that deputizes local law enforcement to carry out federal immigration duties.
A law signed in 2023 by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp now requires all local police across the state to apply for 287(g) participation, prompting warnings from immigrant rights groups.
The Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights condemned the law, saying it would “lead to racial profiling, terrorize immigrant communities, and waste local resources.” Arias-Cristobal’s arrest, they argue, exemplifies exactly that.
While far-right figures such as Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene called for Arias-Cristobal’s deportation, stating in an interview that “she and her family will be able to thrive in Mexico”, a growing chorus has defended her right to remain in the US. A GoFundMe campaign launched for her legal costs has already raised over $90,000.
