Two sheriff’s deputies in Colorado have been formally disciplined for violating a newly enacted state law that restricts local cooperation with federal immigration agencies, following revelations they shared an illegal immigrant’s information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Deputy Alexander Zwinck of Mesa County became the focus of a civil lawsuit filed by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser after he allegedly disclosed identifying details about Caroline Dias-Goncalves, a 19-year-old Brazilian college student, including her location and vehicle description.
The student, who had overstayed her visa, was taken into federal custody and spent more than two weeks in detention before being released on bond.
The events stemmed from a June 5 traffic stop, just two weeks after Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed a law prohibiting local authorities from sharing personally identifiable data with federal immigration agents.
According to reports, Zwinck shared Dias-Goncalves’ information in a group chat used by members of a regional drug task force, which included ICE agents.
Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell confirmed that Zwinck, along with Deputy Erik Olson, participated in the encrypted chat on Signal.
Olson stated during a disciplinary hearing that it was routine for ICE to follow up on traffic stops involving noncitizens.
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