Colorado AG Sues Deputy For Cooperating With ICE
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has filed a lawsuit against Mesa County Sheriff’s Deputy Alexander Zwinck, accusing him of violating a new state law by sharing information with federal immigration agents that led to the arrest of a Brazilian college student with an expired visa.
The lawsuit, first reported by The Associated Press, marks a significant escalation in the growing conflict between state and federal immigration enforcement policies — particularly in states like Colorado, which have adopted strict “sanctuary” measures.
According to the complaint, on June 5, Deputy Zwinck pulled over Caroline Dias-Goncalves, a student from Brazil who had overstayed her visa. Zwinck issued only a warning during the traffic stop. However, shortly afterward, federal immigration agents intercepted Dias-Goncalves and took her into custody.
An internal investigation by the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Zwinck, along with another deputy, Erik Olson, had used a Signal group chat that included federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to share information that ultimately led to Dias-Goncalves’s arrest.
Sheriff Todd Rowell acknowledged the department’s “misstep” in a statement, saying the sheriff’s office has clear policies to limit its involvement in federal immigration enforcement.
“Based on our findings, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office should not have had any role in the chain of events leading to Miss Dias-Goncalves’s detention, and I regret that this occurred,” Rowell said. “I apologize to Miss Dias-Goncalves.”
Colorado passed legislation earlier this year — signed into law by Democratic Governor Jared Polis just weeks before the incident — prohibiting local law enforcement from sharing identifying information with federal immigration agencies for the purposes of immigration enforcement.
Attorney General Phil Weiser said the lawsuit is necessary to ensure state law is upheld.
“The attorney general has a duty to enforce state laws and protect Coloradans, and he’ll continue to do so,” said spokesperson Lawrence Pacheco.
The lawsuit, first reported by The Associated Press, marks a significant escalation in the growing conflict between state and federal immigration enforcement policies — particularly in states like Colorado, which have adopted strict “sanctuary” measures.
According to the complaint, on June 5, Deputy Zwinck pulled over Caroline Dias-Goncalves, a student from Brazil who had overstayed her visa. Zwinck issued only a warning during the traffic stop. However, shortly afterward, federal immigration agents intercepted Dias-Goncalves and took her into custody.
An internal investigation by the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Zwinck, along with another deputy, Erik Olson, had used a Signal group chat that included federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to share information that ultimately led to Dias-Goncalves’s arrest.
Sheriff Todd Rowell acknowledged the department’s “misstep” in a statement, saying the sheriff’s office has clear policies to limit its involvement in federal immigration enforcement.
“Based on our findings, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office should not have had any role in the chain of events leading to Miss Dias-Goncalves’s detention, and I regret that this occurred,” Rowell said. “I apologize to Miss Dias-Goncalves.”
Colorado passed legislation earlier this year — signed into law by Democratic Governor Jared Polis just weeks before the incident — prohibiting local law enforcement from sharing identifying information with federal immigration agencies for the purposes of immigration enforcement.
Attorney General Phil Weiser said the lawsuit is necessary to ensure state law is upheld.
“The attorney general has a duty to enforce state laws and protect Coloradans, and he’ll continue to do so,” said spokesperson Lawrence Pacheco.
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