Family relieved U of U student will be released from Colorado immigration detention
Jun 18, 2025, 4:00 PM | Updated: 4:49 pm
U of U student Caroline Dias Goncalves was detained by ICE in Colorado on June 5. (Courtesy of the Goncalves family)
(Courtesy of the Goncalves family)
SALT LAKE CITY — The family of a University of Utah student who has been held at a Colorado immigration detention facility for weeks is relieved she will now be released on bond.
Caroline Dias Goncalves was taken into custody two weeks ago, after Colorado law enforcement got her information during a traffic stop and inadvertently shared it with ICE.
During her initial hearing in immigration court on Wednesday, a judge granted her bond.
One of her relatives spoke with KSL NewsRadio, under the condition of anonymity, saying the family has been told she can come home after the bond is processed. They expect it could take 24 to 48 hours after payment is submitted.
Still, they have had a lot of fear and uncertainty surrounding her arrest.
“Now, we don’t know what’s going to happen,” her relative said. “How it’s going to be, how she is going to be, if she’s going to be safe or if it’s just they’re going to release her and now they’re going to come for her again.”
Dias Goncalves is a nursing student at the U of U. She was born in Brazil and came to Utah with her family 12 years ago. Her lawyer, Jon Hyman, has said she is a legal asylum seeker, pending her application.
Questions still surround U of U student’s arrest
In a statement on Wednesday, Hyman said there are still a lot of questions surrounding her arrest.
The nature of the stop raises concerns whether the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office violated state law or whether the deputy’s communication through the task force inadvertently notified ICE agents of Caroline’s legal status. ICE agents should not act on this information unless associated with a larger criminal investigation.Without knowing how this multi-agency task force operates and how information is shared, it is difficult to determine the intention of the deputy or ICE in using this information as a means to unlawfully detain immigrants.Is every driver subjected to a traffic stop placed in a multi-agency database and their immigration status disclosed? How long has this group operated? Mesa County took steps to cease and desist its employees from membership in this group, but what about other agencies? In addition, does this removal jeopardize the safety of the community if Mesa County is removed from the task force group?”
These questions are echoed by many in the immigrant community.
“It’s a weird and tough situation,” Dias Goncalves’ relative said. “We want to do everything right and follow all the rules and do the best possible and then we feel like we are unsafe. We are at risk and in danger because we can’t trust [anyone] anymore.”
There is a GoFundMe* for the family of Dias Goncalves as they deal with the court fees and legal costs and try to bring her home.
*KSL NewsRadio does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
