Colorado Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Sheriff's Deputy for Aiding Federal Immigration Enforcement

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed a lawsuit against Mesa County Sheriff's Deputy Alexander Zwinck for violating state laws by cooperating with federal immigration officials to detain a 19-year-old Utah woman after a traffic stop. The lawsuit alleges that Deputy Zwinck shared the driver's personal identifying information with federal immigration officers and assisted in her detention, which lasted over two weeks. This action is in direct contradiction to Colorado law, which prohibits state law enforcement officers from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.

Key Takeaways:

• Deputy Alexander Zwinck stopped a 19-year-old Utah woman for a routine traffic stop on June 5, 2023, and immediately uploaded her personal identifying information to a Signal group chat with federal immigration officers.
• The driver had no criminal history, but was a Brazilian national on an expired visa, which led to her detention by federal immigration authorities.
• The state investigation found that Deputy Zwinck had received an email in January 2025 from the Mesa County Sheriff's Office operations division chief advising that Colorado law restricts the office's ability to enforce immigration issues and cooperate with ICE.
• Deputy Zwinck continued to assist federal immigration officers in violation of Colorado law by sharing her personal identifying information and providing a description of her vehicle.
• Deputy Zwinck commented "nice work" on the Signal chat after learning that the immigration officers had detained the driver.
• The lawsuit argues that Deputy Zwinck's actions are a clear violation of Colorado law, which prohibits state agency and political subdivision employees from disclosing personal identifying information for the purpose of federal immigration enforcement.
• The Attorney General's Office is conducting an ongoing investigation into law enforcement involved in the Signal group chat to determine if they engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the state constitution or laws.

Statistics:

• At least two instances of Deputy Zwinck assisting federal immigration officers in detaining individuals in violation of Colorado law are documented in the Signal chat communications.
• The driver was detained by federal immigration authorities for over two weeks due to Deputy Zwinck's actions.
• The Mesa County Sheriff's Office received an email in January 2025 reminding patrol units of the need to follow Colorado law and not cooperate with ICE on immigration enforcement.

Sources:

• Office of the Colorado Attorney General
• Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S.) sections 24-74-103(1) and 24-74-104(1)
• Email from Mesa County Sheriff's Office operations division chief to all patrol units (dated January 2025)