Colorado Attorney General Takes Action Against Sheriff's Deputy for Alleged Violation of State Laws

Strategic Insights -

Phil Weiser, Colorado's Attorney General, has taken legal action against a Mesa County sheriff's deputy, Investigator Alexander Zwinck, for allegedly violating state laws prohibiting coordination between local police and federal immigration agents. The civil complaint, filed in Mesa County District Court, stems from a traffic stop of Utah student Caroline Dias Goncalves on June 5, 2025, which resulted in her arrest by federal immigration authorities.

Key Takeaways:

  • The complaint alleges that Investigator Zwinck intentionally violated Colorado law by sending messages to a Signal group chat with federal law enforcement, leading to the arrest of Caroline Dias Goncalves.
  • State law bars government employees, including law enforcement officers, from sharing information for the purposes of "investigating for, participating in, cooperating with, or assisting in federal immigration enforcement."
  • The traffic stop, which lasted nearly 20 minutes, showed Zwinck asking Dias Goncalves about her immigration status and sharing her license information with federal agents.
  • Federal agents ran Dias Goncalves' information through several databases accessible only by federal law enforcement, and she was later detained at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Aurora for 15 days before being released on bond.
  • Weiser's lawsuit alleges that Zwinck's actions were for the sole purpose of immigration enforcement and assisted federal immigration officers in apprehending Dias Goncalves.
  • Zwinck has been placed on leave amid an internal investigation into whether the messages complied with state law and departmental policies.
  • Dias Goncalves, a nursing student at the University of Utah with no criminal record, described her experience as a "nightmare."
  • The share of people taken into ICE custody despite having no criminal record has risen sharply since January, with a notable increase in Colorado and Wyoming.

Statistics:

  • 20 minutes, the duration of the traffic stop.
  • 15 days, the period of time Dias Goncalves was detained at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Aurora before being released on bond.
  • 4 minutes, the time it took for a federal immigration officer to inform Deputy Zwinck that Dias Goncalves' searches revealed no criminal history.
  • Sharp increase in the share of people taken into ICE custody despite having no criminal record, which has risen since January.
  • 100% of the time, there were no relevant criminal activities involved in Dias Goncalves' traffic stop.

Sources:

  • "Use of signal message contradictory to Colorado law led to Utah students ICE arrest, sheriff says." (https://coloradonewsline.com/2025/06/17/use-of-signal-message-contradictory-to-colorado-law-led-to-utah-students-ice-arrest-sheriff-says/)
  • "Sheriffs deputy, Utah student ICE arrest, leave." (https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/sheriffs-deputy-utah-student-ice-arrest-leave/)
  • "ICE arrests in Colorado, Wyoming rise despite no criminal history." (https://coloradosun.com/2025/07/18/ice-arrests-colorado-wyoming-no-criminal-history/)
  • "Utah student arrested by ICE in Colorado released after 15-day detention." (https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/utah-student-arrested-by-ice-in-colorado-released-after-nightmare-15-day-detention/)