Colorado Attorney General Sues Sheriff's Deputy for Aiding ICE in Immigration Arrests

Colorado's Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser has taken legal action against Mesa County Deputy Alexander Zwinck for allegedly collaborating with federal immigration agents to arrest a 19-year-old nursing student with an expired visa. The lawsuit also investigates whether other officers on the regional drug task force, which includes federal Homeland Security Investigations members, have been sharing information to facilitate immigration arrests in violation of state law. Weiser emphasizes the importance of enforcing the law, stating that sharing identifying information with federal immigration officials is not optional.

Key Takeaways:

• Deputy Alexander Zwinck allegedly shared the driver's license, vehicle registration, and insurance information of the 19-year-old nursing student in a Signal chat used by task force members, violating state law.
• The task force includes officers who work for federal Homeland Security Investigations, which can enforce immigration laws.
• Zwinck is accused of violating the law multiple times, including on June 5 and June 10, by providing immigration officers with identifying information of individuals who had overstayed their visas.
• The Mesa County Sheriff's Office has placed Zwinck on paid leave during their internal investigation into the student's traffic stop.
• The sheriff's office has removed all its employees from the Signal group chat.
• Colorado's new state law bars employees of local governments from sharing identifying information about people with federal immigration officials.

Statistics:

• 19-year-old nursing student had an expired visa
• June 5: Zwinck allegedly shared identifying information of the student with federal immigration agents
• June 10: Zwinck allegedly provided immigration officers with the photo of a driver's license and vehicle information of another individual who had overstayed their visa
• 5 minutes: Zwinck kept the student in his patrol car after telling her to wait while federal agents made the arrest
• "rgr, nice work": Zwinck's response to federal agents upon hearing of the student's arrest
• "We better get some bitchin (sic) Christmas baskets from you guys": Zwinck's response to federal agents upon being told they would want to help him

Sources:

• AP (2025) - News article "Colorado Attorney General Sues Sheriff's Deputy for Aiding ICE in Immigration Arrests"