Latest news with #AlexanderZwinck
Newsweek
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Sheriff's Deputy Sued by Colorado After Allegedly Tipping Off ICE Agents
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Colorado sheriff's deputy is facing a lawsuit from the state's attorney general over allegations that he aided federal immigration agents in the arrest of a college student with an expired visa. Deputy Alexander Zwinck of the Mesa County Sheriff's Office has been accused of unlawfully sharing the student's personal information with federal agents, according to a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Phil Weiser. "State law specifies that Colorado law enforcement officers are dedicated to enforcing Colorado law and do not do the work of the federal government to enforce immigration law," Weiser said a statement. Newsweek has contacted the Mesa County Sheriff's Office for comment via email outside office hours. A banner to welcome immigrants is placed over the main entrance to the Denver City and County Building on February 26, 2018. A banner to welcome immigrants is placed over the main entrance to the Denver City and County Building on February 26, 2018. David Zalubowski/AP Why It Matters President Donald Trump has directed his administration to remove millions of migrants without legal status to fulfill his campaign pledge of widespread mass deportations. The White House has maintained that anyone living in the country unlawfully is considered to be a criminal. Colorado and Denver have enacted sanctuary laws designed to limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. These laws seek to protect undocumented immigrants by restricting the sharing of personal information with federal authorities and preventing local law enforcement from assisting in immigration arrests. Critics argue that sanctuary laws impede immigration enforcement operations. What To Know Zwinck allegedly shared personal information about a 19‑year‑old Utah nursing student—including her driver's license, vehicle registration and insurance—via a Signal group chat used by a regional drug task force that included Homeland Security Investigations personnel. On June 5, Caroline Dias Goncalves was pulled over by police in Fruita, Colorado, while on her way to Denver. Shortly after being let go by the officer, she was stopped again a few miles away in Grand Junction—this time by immigration agents. After learning from federal immigration officers in a group chat that the student had no criminal record but was in the country on an expired visa, Zwinck allegedly directed her to remain in his patrol car for about five minutes, questioning her about her accent and place of birth. According to the lawsuit, he then let her go with a warning but informed the agents of her vehicle description and travel direction, enabling them to intercept and arrest her. Zwinck apparently responded to news of the arrest with "rgr, nice work," and an ICE agent praised him as "interdictor of the year." On June 10, Zwinck allegedly repeated similar actions, sharing another individual's driver's license photo, vehicle details and location to assist with an immigration arrest. When informed that the person was wanted by ICE, Zwinck allegedly quipped, "We better get some b****in Christmas baskets from you guys," according to the lawsuit. Zwinck has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the conclusion of an internal review by the Mesa County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office previously said all its employees were removed from the Signal group chat involved in the incident. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against Colorado and the city of Denver, challenging what it calls sanctuary policies that it says obstruct federal immigration enforcement. In a complaint filed in May in the U.S. District Court in Colorado, federal officials argued that the state's and city's laws were intentionally crafted to hinder and discriminate against federal immigration authorities, violating the U.S. Constitution. The DOJ said the policies prevented cooperation with federal agents and undermined national immigration enforcement efforts. In 2019, Colorado passed House Bill 19-1124, which prohibits law enforcement from detaining individuals solely based on federal immigration detainers and restricts sharing personal information with federal immigration authorities without a court order. What People Are Saying Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a news release: "In this case, the driver was detained by immigration authorities because of actions by Colorado law enforcement despite the absence of any criminal activity on her part. Her detention for over two weeks is directly due to this violation of Colorado's laws. Because of this action, we are making clear that Colorado law enforcement's role is to advance public safety, not take on the responsibility of doing the work of federal immigration enforcement.
The Independent
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Colorado's AG sues deputy, saying he illegally shared information with immigration agents
Colorado's Democratic attorney general on Tuesday sued a sheriff's deputy for allegedly helping federal immigration agents find and arrest a college student who had an expired visa. Attorney General Phil Weiser also disclosed that his office is investigating whether other law enforcement officers on a regional drug task force the deputy worked on have been sharing information to help federal agents make immigration arrests in violation of state law limiting cooperation in immigration enforcement. The federal government has sued Colorado over such laws. On June 5, Mesa County 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, according to the lawsuit. The task force includes officers who work for federal Homeland Security Investigations, which can enforce immigration laws, the lawsuit said. After federal immigration officers told him in the chat that the student did not have a criminal history but had an expired visa, Zwinck allegedly provided them with their location and told her to wait with him in his patrol car for about five minutes, asking about her accent and where she was born. He let her go with a warning and gave federal agents a description of her vehicle and told her which direction she was headed so they could arrest her, the lawsuit said. When Zwinck was told of the arrest, the lawsuit said he congratulated the federal agents, saying 'rgr, nice work.' The following day, one federal immigration agent praised Zwinck's work in the chat, saying he should be named 'interdictor of the year" for the removal division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Zwinck is also accused of violating the law again on June 10 by providing immigration officers with the photo of the license of another driver who had overstayed his visa, information about the person's vehicle and directions to help them arrest the driver. After being told that immigration officers 'would want him', Zwinck replied that 'We better get some bitchin (sic) Christmas baskets from you guys', the lawsuit said. The Mesa County Sheriff's Office declined to comment on the lawsuit. Spokesperson Molly Casey said the office is about a week away from finishing its internal investigation into the student's traffic stop and plans to issue a statement after it is finished. A working telephone number could not be found for Zwinck, who was placed on paid leave during the sheriff's office's investigation. Casey declined to provide the name of an attorney who might be able to speak on his behalf. The sheriff's office previously announced that all its employees have been removed from the Signal group chat. Weiser said he was acting under a new state law that bars employees of local governments from sharing identifying information about people with federal immigration officials, a recent expansion of state laws limiting cooperation in immigration cases. Previously, the ban on sharing personal identifying information only applied to state agencies, but state lawmakers voted to expand that to local government agencies earlier this year. ' One of our goals in enforcing this law is to make clear that this law is not optional. This is a requirement and it's one that we take seriously,' he said. The law allows violators to be fined but Weiser's lawsuit only seeks a judge's order declaring that Zwinck's actions violated the law and barring him from such actions in the future.
Associated Press
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Colorado's AG sues deputy, saying he illegally shared information with immigration agents
DENVER (AP) — Colorado's Democratic attorney general on Tuesday sued a sheriff's deputy for allegedly helping federal immigration agents find and arrest a college student who had an expired visa. Attorney General Phil Weiser also disclosed that his office is investigating whether other law enforcement officers on a regional drug task force the deputy worked on have been sharing information to help federal agents make immigration arrests in violation of state law limiting cooperation in immigration enforcement. The federal government has sued Colorado over such laws. On June 5, Mesa County 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, according to the lawsuit. The task force includes officers who work for federal Homeland Security Investigations, which can enforce immigration laws, the lawsuit said. After federal immigration officers told him in the chat that the student did not have a criminal history but had an expired visa, Zwinck allegedly provided them with their location and told her to wait with him in his patrol car for about five minutes, asking about her accent and where she was born. He let her go with a warning and gave federal agents a description of her vehicle and told her which direction she was headed so they could arrest her, the lawsuit said. When Zwinck was told of the arrest, the lawsuit said he congratulated the federal agents, saying 'rgr, nice work.' The following day, one federal immigration agent praised Zwinck's work in the chat, saying he should be named 'interdictor of the year' for the removal division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Zwinck is also accused of violating the law again on June 10 by providing immigration officers with the photo of the license of another driver who had overstayed his visa, information about the person's vehicle and directions to help them arrest the driver. After being told that immigration officers 'would want him', Zwinck replied that 'We better get some bitchin (sic) Christmas baskets from you guys', the lawsuit said. The Mesa County Sheriff's Office declined to comment on the lawsuit. Spokesperson Molly Casey said the office is about a week away from finishing its internal investigation into the student's traffic stop and plans to issue a statement after it is finished. A working telephone number could not be found for Zwinck, who was placed on paid leave during the sheriff's office's investigation. Casey declined to provide the name of an attorney who might be able to speak on his behalf. The sheriff's office previously announced that all its employees have been removed from the Signal group chat. Weiser said he was acting under a new state law that bars employees of local governments from sharing identifying information about people with federal immigration officials, a recent expansion of state laws limiting cooperation in immigration cases. Previously, the ban on sharing personal identifying information only applied to state agencies, but state lawmakers voted to expand that to local government agencies earlier this year. 'One of our goals in enforcing this law is to make clear that this law is not optional. This is a requirement and it's one that we take seriously,' he said. The law allows violators to be fined but Weiser's lawsuit only seeks a judge's order declaring that Zwinck's actions violated the law and barring him from such actions in the future.
Al Arabiya
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Colorado's AG sues deputy, saying he illegally shared information with immigration agents
DENVER (AP) – Colorado's Democratic Attorney General on Tuesday sued a sheriff's deputy for allegedly helping federal immigration agents find and arrest a college student who had an expired visa. Attorney General Phil Weiser also disclosed that his office is investigating whether other law enforcement officers on a regional drug task force the deputy worked on have been sharing information to help federal agents make immigration arrests in violation of state law limiting cooperation in immigration enforcement. The federal government has sued Colorado over such laws. On June 5, Mesa County 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, according to the lawsuit. The task force includes officers who work for federal Homeland Security Investigations, which can enforce immigration laws, the lawsuit said. After federal immigration officers told him in the chat that the student did not have a criminal history but had an expired visa, Zwinck allegedly provided them with their location and told her to wait with him in his patrol car for about five minutes, asking about her accent and where she was born. He let her go with a warning and gave federal agents a description of her vehicle and told her which direction she was headed so they could arrest her, the lawsuit said. When Zwinck was told of the arrest, the lawsuit said he congratulated the federal agents, saying, 'rgr nice work.' The following day, one federal immigration agent praised Zwinck's work in the chat, saying he should be named 'interdictor of the year for the removal division of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.' Zwinck is also accused of violating the law again on June 10 by providing immigration officers with the photo of the license of another driver who had overstayed his visa, information about the person's vehicle, and directions to help them arrest the driver. After being told that immigration officers would 'want him,' Zwinck replied that 'We better get some bitchin (sic) Christmas baskets from you guys,' the lawsuit said. The Mesa County Sheriff's Office declined to comment on the lawsuit. Spokesperson Molly Casey said the office is about a week away from finishing its internal investigation into the student's traffic stop and plans to issue a statement after it is finished. A working telephone number could not be found for Zwinck, who was placed on paid leave during the sheriff's office's investigation. Casey declined to provide the name of an attorney who might be able to speak on his behalf. The sheriff's office previously announced that all its employees have been removed from the Signal group chat. Weiser said he was acting under a new state law that bars employees of local governments from sharing identifying information about people with federal immigration officials – a recent expansion of state laws limiting cooperation in immigration cases. Previously, the ban on sharing personal identifying information only applied to state agencies, but state lawmakers voted to expand that to local government agencies earlier this year. 'One of our goals in enforcing this law is to make clear that this law is not optional. This is a requirement, and it's one that we take seriously,' he said. The law allows violators to be fined, but Weiser's lawsuit only seeks a judge's order declaring that Zwinck's actions violated the law and barring him from such actions in the future.
CBS News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Colorado attorney general sues Mesa County sheriff's deputy who allegedly led ICE to woman on expired visa
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is suing a Mesa County sheriff's deputy who Weiser says led federal immigration officers to a woman allegedly in the U.S. on an expired visa after a traffic stop. That deputy was allegedly using an encrypted Signal chat with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Weiser is also investigating the Mesa County Sheriff's Office's alleged "coordination" with ICE, which he says violates a state law that bars state and local governments and agencies from assisting ICE with civil immigration enforcement. The U.S. Department of Justice is currently suing the state over these policies. Weiser said in a news conference Tuesday morning that Mesa County Deputy Alexander Zwinck violated state law by working with ICE officials to detain a 19-year-old woman -- a nursing student living in Utah -- after a traffic stop last month. Weiser's office filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Mesa County District Court. That lawsuit asserts that Zwinck unlawfully asked about, and then shared, the driver's personal identifying information with ICE. He's asking the court for an order to stop the deputy from engaging in similar unlawful conduct in the future. "State law specifies that Colorado law enforcement officers are dedicated to enforcing Colorado law and do not do the work of the federal government to enforce immigration law," Weiser said. "In this case, the driver was detained by immigration authorities because of actions by Colorado law enforcement despite the absence of any criminal activity on her part." Zwinck allegedly gave information about the car driven by that woman, Caroline Dias Goncalves, who's originally from Brazil, to ICE officers in that Signal chat. ICE agents then arrested her and transferred her to the ICE detention center in Aurora. Zwinck commented in the chat, "nice work," after learning she'd been detained, according to the lawsuit. Another officer wrote in the chat that "Zwinck is gonna get ERO interdictor of the year," referring to Enforcement and Removal Operations, a division within ICE. "Her detention for over two weeks is directly due to this violation of Colorado's laws," Weiser said. "Because of this action, we are making clear that Colorado law enforcement's role is to advance public safety, not take on the responsibility of doing the work of federal immigration enforcement." Weiser, who's running for governor, went on to say that "she suffered what she called 'the worst experience of her life,' and that "she was away from her home, her friends, her family, and she was filled with fear." Court records show Zwinck does not yet have an attorney in the case, filed Tuesday morning. The Mesa County Sheriff's Office, which isn't named in the lawsuit but was part of the investigation that led to it, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, however, the Mesa County Sheriff's Office released two separate statements related to the traffic stop, arrest, and deputies' participation in the group chat. "In accordance with Colorado law, the Mesa County Sheriff's Office does not investigate residency status during any law enforcement interactions," the first statement read, in part. "Our Deputy was part of a communication group that included local, state, and federal law enforcement partners participating in a multi-agency drug interdiction effort focusing on the highways throughout Western Colorado. We were unaware that the communication group was used for anything other than drug interdiction efforts, including immigration. We have since removed all Mesa County Sheriff's Office members from the communication group." The sheriff's office went on to say that despite ordering its deputies to leave the Signal chat, it would continue working with federal officials on drug enforcement operations. "Through our Administrative Investigation, we have learned that the federal representatives within the communication group began using the material collected for drug interdiction efforts to extrapolate immigration information for the purposes of ICE enforcement. This use of information is contradictory to Colorado law and was initially intended for the purpose of reducing illegal drug trafficking in Colorado. Unfortunately, it resulted in the later contact between ICE and Miss Dias Goncalves," the second statement read, in part. "We will continue our coordination on drug interdiction efforts with our state and federal and state partners within Colorado law."
