Colorado AG drops lawsuit against deputy who was disciplined for giving info to ICE, leading to arrest of U of U student

DENVER, Colorado (ABC4) — The Colorado Attorney General has dropped a lawsuit that he filed

The lawsuit alleged that Deputy Alexander Zwinck violated Colorado law by working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to detain Caroline Dias Goncalves, the 19-year-old University of Utah student who was arrested by ICE following a routine traffic stop.

According to Colorado Attorney General (AG) Phil Weiser’s office, Zwinck filed a declaration in court that he would be resigning from the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office effective September 2, and because he will no longer be employed in a state or local law enforcement position, the AG dropped the lawsuit.

“Because the laws he is accused of violating apply only to state and local employees, the attorney general’s office is dismissing the lawsuit against Mr. Zwinck but retaining the right to re-file the case if Mr. Zwinck becomes a state or local employee in the future,” the AG’s office said.

Caroline Dias Goncalves was arrested on June 5 after a routine traffic stop while she was traveling through Colorado. Information was shared with a group chat that contained Homeland Security Investigations and ICE officers, going against Colorado Senate Bill 25-276. That law prohibits Colorado law enforcement officers from sharing personal identifying information with federal immigration officers.

The now-dropped lawsuit against Zwinck alleged that he violated the law by working with ICE officials to detain Caroline Dias Goncalves. He reportedly uploaded her personal data to a Signal group chat that included federal immigration officers, and he continued to assist in her arrest despite being told that she had no criminal history.

In August, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office disciplined five officers for their involvement in a Signal group chat that included federal immigration officers following an administrative review of the events that led to Dias Goncalves’ arrest. Zwinck was one of the officers disciplined, being placed on three weeks of unpaid administrative leave and then reassigned to patrol.

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office said while they have “well-established practices limiting our involvement in immigration enforcement,” the review highlighted the need for enhanced training, and Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell apologized to Dias Goncalves for their involvement.

The Colorado AG’s office also said that they are continuing their pattern and practice investigation into law enforcement agencies and officers who participated in the Signal group chat.