The city of Dalton has been rocked by an incident involving its police officer Leslie Allen O’Neal arresting an unlicensed illegal alien motorist who he mistakenly thought made an illegal right-on-red light turn. Yet the city and his police chief failed to back him up over his initial mistake, thus dropping all charges against the illegal. O’Neal resigned in disgust.
“The department’s inadequate response to and defense against public accusations of false arrest, which arose after a charge from a valid arrest was publicly dropped without explanation,” O’Neal complained in his resignation letter. A later review of the police dashcam video showed that O’Neal targeted a nearly identical vehicle; however, the illegal driver– Ximena Arias-Cristobal– had no license. Officers took her to the jail but, even though the locals dropped the charges against her due to pressure from radical Hispanic demonstrators and groups, Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) were waiting at the jail and arrested her for deportation.
“The facts haven’t changed,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted on the social media platform X. “Both father and daughter were in this country illegally and they have to face the consequences.” (Incidentally, DHS urged them to take self-deportation, so they could come back legally and apply for citizenship. It offered $1,000 each and a free flight to their home country if they self-deport.)
“The father and daughter illegally immigrated with the rest of the family to the U.S. from Mexico 15 years ago when she was 4 years old. The DACA program for children entering illegally ended before she could qualify,” according to her attorney and family members.
It should be noted that the DHS and ICE are allowed to arrest and detain non-citizens for removal under Section 235 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act. Immigration officers can arrest without a warrant under Section 287 if they believe the person is unlawfully in the U.S. and may escape before a warrant is issued.
Both Arias-Cristobal and her father are still subject to deportation.
