Latest news with #Loma
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Nursing student, 19, held by ICE after traffic stop makes surprising revelation about deputy who detained her
A 19-year-old nursing student whose detention by ICE following a routine traffic stop has stunned supporters by expressing forgiveness, and even gratitude, towards the sheriff's deputy who detained her. Caroline Dias Goncalves, a University of Utah scholarship recipient and one of 2.5 million undocumented Dreamers living in the US, was pulled over June 5 on a stretch of Interstate 70 in Loma, Colorado. The stop, initiated for following a semi-truck too closely, Goncalves hand over all of her documentation and paperwork and ended with a cordial conversation - but it spiraled into a 15-day nightmare that saw her locked in an ICE detention facility, fearing she might never see her family again. Now free after a judge ordered her release on June 18, Goncalves has released a powerful public statement. And in a twist that has left many stunned, she thanked the very deputy whose actions helped lead to her arrest - Investigator Alexander Zwinck of the Mesa County Sheriff's Office. 'Even to the ICE officer who detained me… he kept apologizing and told me he wanted to let me go, but his hands were tied. There was nothing he could do, even though he knew it wasn't right,' Goncalves wrote. 'I want you to know - I forgive you. Because I believe that people can make better choices when they're allowed to.' Body camera footage reviewed by showed Zwinck pulling Goncalves over and issuing her a warning. During the encounter, he casually asked about her background: 'Where are you from? You have a bit of an accent.' 'I'm from Utah,' she responded, cautiously. Zwinck then asked if she had been born and raised there. 'No,' she admitted, after a pause. 'I was born in - gosh, I always forget the town… down in Brazil.' 'My parents moved here,' she added. The officer appeared unfazed by her answer, moving on to ask her questions about her boyfriend, her weekend plans and her dreams of becoming a nurse. But just minutes later as she exited the freeway, ICE agents pulled her over again. She was arrested and taken to the Aurora Contract Detention Facility outside Denver. Goncalves' name and travel details had been shared in a multi-agency law enforcement group chat, originally intended to coordinate drug trafficking enforcement - but now revealed to be quietly exploited by federal immigration agents. The Mesa County Sheriff's Office has since confirmed its deputies, including Zwinck, were part of the chat group and said it was unaware the information was being used for ICE arrests. The department has pulled out of the group and placed Zwinck on leave pending an investigation. 'This use of information is contradictory to Colorado law… Unfortunately, it resulted in the later contact between ICE and Miss Dias Goncalves,' the agency said in a public statement. Goncalves' full statement, released days after her release, paints a harrowing picture of life inside the Aurora facility. 'We were given soggy wet food - even the bread was all soggy. We were kept on confusing schedules,' she wrote. 'And the moment they realized I spoke English, I saw a change - suddenly I was treated better than others who didn't. That broke my heart.' Despite having lived in the US since she was seven years old, Goncalves said she was 'treated like I didn't matter.' Her detention occurred amid President Donald Trump's renewed push to ramp up deportations, particularly in Democratic-run cities. The administration has publicly instructed ICE to prioritize arrests in urban hubs like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, where, Trump claims, 'Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside.' His immigration architect, Stephen Miller, has called for 3,000 arrests per day - a staggering increase over the daily averages early in Trump's first term. And although enforcement actions in high-traffic industries like agriculture and hospitality have reportedly been paused, the president has continued to push for visible, symbolic crackdowns such as Goncalves' arrest. Her statement is telling both in its emotional honesty and unexpected grace. 'I hope no one else has to go through what I did. But I know that right now, over 1,300 people are still in that same nightmare in Aurora detention,' she wrote. 'They are just like me - people who've grown up here, who love this country, who want nothing more than a chance to belong.' She reserved special thanks for her attorney, her family, community groups, and the US senators who intervened on her behalf. She also gave credit to her best friends and legal fund supporters - more than $28,000 has been raised for her case through GoFundMe. And yet, despite the trauma, Goncalves did not call for punishment or retribution for Zwinck, who according to her own account expressed regret even as he followed protocol. 'Immigrants like me - we're not asking for anything special. Just a fair chance to adjust our status, to feel safe, and to keep building the lives we've worked so hard for.' After 15 days in detention, Goncalves says she's returning to work, school, and 'healing.' 'I'm going to try to move forward now... but I won't forget this. And I hope others won't either.' Goncalves is a recipient of the national scholarship, granted to undocumented students pursuing higher education. She is studying to become a nurse. While her father's asylum case remains pending, her own legal status hangs in the balance. It is understood her family arrived in the US on a tourist visa, which they overstayed.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Yahoo
How ICE detained a Utah college student after a brief traffic stop
A brief traffic stop on a Colorado highway led to the immigration detention of a college student this month after local law enforcement shared information with federal authorities, not knowing it would be used for immigration purposes, according to an administrative investigation. Caroline Dias Goncalves, 19, a student at the University of Utah, was driving on Interstate 70 outside Loma on June 5 when a Mesa County sheriff's deputy pulled her over. Body cam footage released by the sheriff's office shows that an officer they identified as Investigator Alexander Zwinck claimed Dias Goncalves was driving too close to a semi-truck. The stop lasted about 20 minutes and Zwinck released Dias Goncalves with a warning. Shortly after she exited the highway, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopped her, arrested her and took her to an immigration detention center. "She has no criminal record and she was not shown a warrant," her attorney, Jon Hyman, said in an email. Online records show that Dias Goncalves remains in ICE custody at the Denver Contract Detention Facility. ICE did not respond to a request for comment. Dias Goncalves is one of nearly 2.5 million Dreamers living in the United States. The word 'Dreamer' refers to undocumented young immigrants brought to the United States as children. In response to questions from Zwinck during the traffic stop, Dias Goncalves said she was born in Brazil and has lived in Utah for 12 years, body cam footage shows. Relatives of Dias Goncalves told The Salt Lake Tribune she arrived in the U.S. as a child with her family on a tourist visa, which they overstayed. Finding a way to remain in the country legally, Dias Goncalves applied for asylum. That case remains pending. During the traffic stop, Zwinck reviewed her identification, vehicle records and asked Dias Goncalves about her plans for the weekend. Zwinck then told Dias Goncalves he would release her with 'just a warning.' After that, he asked, 'Where are you from? You have a bit of an accent.' Dias Goncalves replied in her slightly Western accent, 'I'm from Utah." She also told Zwinck about attending the University of Utah and starting nursing school in the Spring. The officer sent her off telling her to "take it easy." An administrative investigation from the Mesa County Sheriff's Office revealed Zwinck 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.' Federal authorities began using the information collected in that communication group for immigration enforcement purposes, the Mesa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Monday evening outlining their administrative investigation. "Unfortunately, it resulted in the later contact between ICE and Miss Dias Goncalves." The Mesa County Sheriff's Office claims it was "unaware that the communication group was used for anything other than drug interdiction efforts" and have since removed all members of their office from the group. Colorado law restricts coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, but it does not fully prohibit it. Dias Goncalves' immigration detention mirrors that of fellow 19-year-old Dreamer Ximena Arias-Cristobal in Georgia. Police in Dalton wrongly pulled Arias-Cristobal over last month, putting her on the radar of immigration authorities and making her susceptible to deportation. Since her release from immigration detention, Arias-Cristobal has been speaking up about the growing risks Dreamers face as the Trump administration steps up the pace of deportations of immigrants who do not have criminal charges or convictions, despite Donald Trump's campaign promises to prioritize deporting violent criminals. Arias-Cristobal and Dias Goncalves are recipients of the highly regarded national scholarship, which helps undocumented youths with financial needs go to college. Dias Goncalves said in a survey of scholars, 'I want to succeed, have a family, make a change living in America.' Gaby Pacheco, president of told NBC News on Monday that scholars like Dias Goncalves are doing everything in their power "to regularize their status." "She has a pending case, which is the aggravating and terrible thing that we're seeing," Pacheco said, adding that the organization is in contact with Dias Goncalves' family. Polls and surveys have consistently found that most U.S. adults favor granting permanent legal status and a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers. Trump even said on NBC News' 'Meet the Press' in December that he wanted to work with Democrats and Republicans on a plan 'to do something about the Dreamers.' Asked about possible plans for immigration protections for Dreamers, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told NBC News in a statement June 4, 'The Trump Administration's top priority is deporting criminal illegal aliens from the United States, of which there are many.' This article was originally published on
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Denver settles civil rights lawsuits for $150K with journalist at George Floyd protests
DENVER (KDVR) — Denver City Council approved two settlements to the same man on Monday, related to his coverage of the George Floyd protests in the downtown area and of a homeless encampment sweep. Brian Loma, a journalist, claimed in his federal civil rights lawsuit that Denver Police Department officers 'retaliated' against him for covering what his attorneys called 'rampant police brutality' that occurred during the protests. Loma said he suffered pepper balls, flash-bang grenades and tear gas during the protests as he exercised his First Amendment rights of free speech. 2020 coverage: Police chiefs: Denver saw more protest violence than any major US or Canadian city 'After being shot and tear gassed during the first day of the protests, I showed up in a helmet that had 'PRESS' all over it,' said Brian Loma in a press release from his attorneys. 'And on the second day while wearing it, having shown up at the Capitol I was burning sage and praying in the Capitol lawn when I was directly shot and targeted with tear gas. I was a peaceful protester in meditation when Denver police targeted me and violated my rights.' Denver paid $135,000 to settle Loma's claims. 'The payment to Brian Loma for the brutality he endured during the George Floyd protests is just the latest in a long line of payments by Denver for police misconduct during the protests,' said Andy McNulty, Loma's attorney. 'Unfortunately, the taxpayers of Denver are forced to compensate victims for the harms they suffered at the hands of Denver Police Department officers while officers have suffered no consequences for their actions.' The second case involved Loma filming officers conducting a homeless sweep of an encampment allegedly primarily occupied by LGBTQ+ individuals. 'The reality of the sweeps was that they inflicted immense trauma on houseless residents of Denver and looked ugly on film for the city,' Loma's attorneys wrote in a press release. Loma argued in his lawsuit that he was filming the installation of a border fence around the encampment that allegedly was constructed to limit access of mutual aid providers and supporters assisting the homeless community. While doing so, he demanded the officers identify themselves, as is the Denver Police Department's policy. 'DPD Officer Berger refused to identify himself and, when Mr. Loma moved his camera to capture the name badge on his uniform, Officer Berger slapped Mr. Loma's camera out of his hand, smashing it on the ground and breaking it,' Loma's attorneys stated. Denver sees historic drop in street homelessness: Mayor Johnston For this case, Denver paid Loma $15,000 to settle his claims. 'This is not the first time that Denver Police Department officers have retaliated against individuals for filming and criticizing the police,' said McNulty in the press release. 'The Denver Police Department's persistent violation of the First Amendment should come as no surprise given Denver's consistent failure to discipline or fire officers who violate civilians' constitutional rights. We are gratified that these settlements impose some semblance of accountability on a police department run amok.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta Looks for Exclusive Hollywood Content for its New Headset, WSJ
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is negotiating exclusive immersive content for its future premium virtual reality headgear, internally named "Loma," with Disney, A24, and other companies. The device, which is set to be released next year, will cost less than $1,000 and look like giant eyeglasses attached to a pocket-sized puck. To compete with Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro, Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is paying millions for VR-only versions of popular IPs. Loma intends to combine immersive video with portability and will have higher-fidelity images than current Meta Quest devices. Disney and James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment have previously teamed up with Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) to create a Star Wars virtual reality experience. While allowing content to be monetized later on other platforms, the business is giving priority to time-limited VR exclusivity. In 2024, Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)'s VR/AR business, Reality Labs, reported a $17.7 billion loss on $2.1 billion in revenue. Despite becoming a market leader, its Quest line is still specialized; since 2021, its AI-powered Ray-Ban spectacles have sold two million pairs. While we acknowledge the potential of META as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 High-Growth EV Stocks to Invest In and 13 Best Car Stocks to Buy in 2025. Disclosure. None.
Scottish Sun
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Three-weight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko retires after more than 400 FIGHTS in lengthy video
BOXING great Vasiliy Lomachenko has announced his retirement - bringing the end to an iconic career. Lomachenko has the greatest amateur record of all time, winning 396 times with just one loss - which he avenged. 6 Vasiliy Lomachenko has announced his retirement from boxing Credit: Instagram / @lomachenkovasiliy 6 Lomachenko retires as a three-weight champion Credit: Getty As a professional, the masterful southpaw won titles at feather, super-feather and lightweight. And he dazzled fans with his incredible footwork, combination punching and speed. He beat George Kambosos last May in Australia but has not fought since - rejecting talks to later fight Gervonta Davis. It cast doubt over his future in the sport - and now Loma has confirmed his retirement in a lengthy Instagram video. READ MORE IN BOXING FOOD FOR THOUGHT Wardley lived off ice cream and noodles after brutal Frazer Clarke fight He thanked his family, including his dad and coach Anatoly, his manager Egis Klimas, long-time promoter Bob Arum and the fans. Loma turned pro in 2013 - a year after the London Games - and did so after winning double Olympic gold. He wanted to fight for world title on his DEBUT - but was unable to do so without a ranking. Loma beat Jose Luis Ramírez in four quick rounds before challenging Orlando Salido for the WBO featherweight title. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS But Salido - a part-time Uber driver - upset Loma and used veteran tactics to edge out a points decision. That did not deter Loma, though, as he bounced back with victory over Gary Russell Jr in his next fight to become champ after just three bouts. 'Back to the grind in a few days' - Anthony Joshua shows off results of elbow surgery as boxing star closes in on return The southpaw sensation then went on an unbeaten run over 13 fights and five years - winning titles at 126lb, 130lb and 135lb. Loma fought at lightweight despite being vastly oversized by his opponents - something that would inevitably catch up with him. Teofimo Lopez stunned him in 2020 to win the unified titles and three years later, Devin Haney would controversially beat Loma on points. Loma returned 12 months later to stop Kambosos in 11 rounds - winning back the IBF belt - but he later vacated the strap. And despite being linked with big-money bouts against the likes of Davis and Shakur Stevenson - it marked the end of the road for one of the sport's greatest. Loma was a fighter inside and outside of the ring - signing up to defend his country after Russia's invasion in February 2022. He enlisted with the Territorial Defence Forces - but eventually returned to boxing to resume his career. Loma hangs up his gloves with 418 total fights - amateur and pro - 414 wins, just four losses and a host of gold medals and world title belts. 6 Lomachenko beat George Kambosos in his last fight Credit: EPA 6 He suffered a controversial loss to Devin Haney Credit: Getty 6 Lomachenko was beaten by Teofimo Lopez in 2020 Credit: Handout - Getty 6 Lomachenko was a double Olympic champion Credit: Getty Images - Getty
