ICE secretly obtained info from law enforcement chat before detaining U. student in Colorado, sheriff says

BREAKING UPDATE: After a hearing on Wednesday, Caroline Dias Goncalves was set to be released on bond, according to her lawyer, Jon Hyman. Her family said they expect her to come home as soon as the court receives their payment, but that it could take a day or two to process everything.

As of Friday, Dias Goncalves was still in ICE custody.

On Friday afternoon, the Department of Homeland Security responded to a KSL inquiry on Dias Goncalves’ status and detainment:

Caroline Dias-Goncalves, an illegal alien from Brazil, was arrested by ICE on June 5, 2025. Her visa expired over a decade ago. President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to restoring integrity to the visa program and ensuring it is not abused to allow aliens a permanent one-way ticket to remain in the U.S. She will remain in ICE custody pending her immigration proceedings.

The DHS did not comment on questions regarding the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office’s alleged information sharing with ICE, but noted the administration’s current “self-deport” option for immigrants.

“President Trump and Secretary Noem’s message to illegal aliens is clear: LEAVE NOW,” the DHS said.

On Thursday, her family, who asked not to be identified for safety concerns, expressed relief knowing she will be released, and were thankful to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado for coming forward with information covered in the report below. They also acknowledged they have “a long way to go.”

On Thursday, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office released a statement regarding Dias Goncalves’ arrest in a “sustained effort to provide transparency and accountability”:

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to perform a full administrative investigation into the conduct of our Office during the June 5, 2025, traffic stop involving Caroline Dias Goncalves. The investigation includes reviewing communications from members of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office with our local, state, and federal partners via the communication group, Signal, to ensure Mesa County Sheriff’s Office employees included in that group communication acted within Mesa County Sheriff’s Office policies and Colorado law. This includes, but is not limited to, working to understand if and when Mesa County Sheriff’s Office employees were made aware that the information shared for drug interdiction efforts was being utilized for immigration enforcement.

Mesa County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Alexander Zwinck has been placed on Administrative Leave pending the outcome of the administrative investigation. Any repercussions will be determined by the outcome of the full administrative investigation. We ask the public and our media partners to please allow us time as we conduct this investigation to ensure we hold ourselves accountable for our role in this incident and correct our practices and policies to comply with Colorado law.

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office has established a phone line to allow community members to voice their concerns or comments regarding this incident. The phone line can be reached at 970-244-3533. Please note, while this line is monitored, not all messages will be responded to. If you are experiencing an emergency, dial 911.

KSL TV’s original story is as follows:

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SALT LAKE CITY — After a University of Utah student was arrested during a traffic stop in Colorado, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office released new details Monday, revealing immigration agents obtained her information from a law enforcement chat they were not supposed to utilize, per Colorado law.

The student in question, Caroline Dias Goncalves, 19, was born in Brazil and moved to the U.S. with her parents in 2012, at age 7. Her lawyer, John Hyman, said she is in the U.S. legally, pending her asylum — meaning the only circumstances in which she could be removed are if there were a national security concern or if she were charged with a crime.

However, on June 5, Dias Goncalves was pulled over twice near Grand Junction and arrested by immigration officers during the second stop, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office. She was traveling to see her boyfriend, according to her relatives.

First traffic stop

The sheriff’s office said Monday an investigator assigned to a drug enforcement team made the first traffic stop on Interstate 70, outside of Loma, Colorado. A relative of Dias Goncalves said she was pulled over for allegedly following a semitruck too closely, and the stop lasted approximately 20 minutes.

Body-worn camera footage shows the sheriff’s investigator, Alexander Zwinck, asking Dias Goncalves, “Where are you from? You got a little bit of an accent?”

Dias Goncalves said she was from Utah and had been here for 12 years. He responded, “Born and raised?”

Dias Goncalves became seemingly flustered, taking a pause, and muttering “I always forget,” before saying she was born in Brazil. Zwinck responded, “Oh, that’s cool!”

Zwinck issued Dias Goncalves a warning and released her. On Monday, the sheriff’s office confirmed that Zwinck had shared information after the traffic stop in a “communication group” meant for drug enforcement efforts.

“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,” the sheriff’s office said.

Second traffic stop

The sheriff’s office did not detail what the deputy said about Dias Goncalves in the “communication group,” but shortly after deputies released Dias Goncalves, she was stopped again shortly after exiting the highway — this time, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Dias Goncalves was taken into ICE custody during the second traffic stop, where she now remains nearly two weeks later.

Dias Goncalves’ lawyer spoke with KSL TV on Friday and questioned the legality of how ICE obtained information that prompted them to make the second traffic stop, and arrest without a warrant.

On Monday, the sheriff’s office confirmed the ICE agents received the information about Dias Goncalves through the drug task force group.

“This use of information is contradictory to Colorado law and was initially intended for the purpose of reducing illegal drug trafficking in Colorado,” the sheriff’s office said. “Unfortunately, it resulted in the later contact between ICE and Miss Dias Goncalves.”

The sheriff’s office said Monday that it was “unaware” the communication group was being used for anything other than illegal drug enforcement efforts, and had since removed all of its members from the group.

KSL TV’s Garna Mejia contributed to this report.