DENVER — Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has filed a civil lawsuit against Mesa County Sheriff’s Deputy Alexander Zwinck, alleging he unlawfully aided federal immigration authorities in arresting a 19-year-old nursing student traveling through the state.
According to the complaint, Zwinck shared the student’s driver’s license, vehicle registration, and insurance details in a Signal group chat used by a regional drug task force that included federal Homeland Security Investigations agents.
The student, Caroline Dias Goncalves, a Utah resident originally from Brazil, was pulled over by Fruita police on June 5, 2025, while driving to Denver. She was released, but federal immigration agents stopped her minutes later in Grand Junction.
The lawsuit claims Zwinck kept Goncalves in his patrol vehicle for five minutes during the traffic stop, questioning her about her accent and birthplace, before letting her go with a warning. He allegedly then sent her vehicle description and travel direction to federal agents, who arrested her. Prosecutors say he later responded “rgr, nice work” after learning of the arrest, while an ICE agent called him “interdictor of the year.”
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Zwinck has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, which it expects to complete within a week.
The lawsuit also accuses Zwinck of a similar incident on June 10, when he allegedly shared another person’s driver’s license photo, vehicle details, and location with ICE, later joking that the agency “better get some b****** Christmas baskets” for his help. The sheriff’s office has since removed all employees from the Signal chat group.
The case comes amid ongoing disputes over Colorado’s 2019 sanctuary law, House Bill 19-1124, which bars local law enforcement from detaining people solely on immigration detainers and from sharing personal information with immigration authorities without a court order. The U.S. Department of Justice is separately suing Colorado, claiming the policy unlawfully restricts federal immigration enforcement.
Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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