A Colorado sheriff’s deputy is under investigation after allegedly coordinating with federal immigration agents tied to the Trump administration to target individuals during traffic stops — including a 19-year-old nursing student with no criminal record — according to a lawsuit filed by the state attorney general.
Deputy Alexander Zwinck of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office is accused of sharing personal information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents through Signal, an encrypted messaging app, in violation of state law. The lawsuit, filed by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, claims the deputy acted outside his legal authority to assist in civil immigration enforcement.
Before a June 10 arrest, Zwinck reportedly messaged federal agents, writing: “We better get some b—in Christmas baskets from you guys.” Days earlier, on June 5, Zwinck had pulled over nursing student Caroline Goncalves on Interstate 70 for allegedly following a semi-truck too closely. During the stop, he questioned her about the vehicle and her destination and ran her information — which returned no criminal history.
In a Signal message, Zwinck flagged her to ICE agents, saying: “Not seeing crim history, but I believe she has immigration issues.” One ICE agent responded by confirming she was a “Brazilian National, visa overstay,” while another asked for the exact mile marker of the stop. Minutes later, Zwinck reportedly replied with “Port,” and ICE agents confirmed they were en route.
Without informing Goncalves of any coordination with ICE, Zwinck told her he was going to issue a traffic warning. After releasing her, he allegedly gave federal agents information on the direction she was heading. Goncalves was later detained on a visa violation.
“Rgr, nice work,” Zwinck reportedly messaged after the arrest was completed.
The lawsuit claims this was not an isolated incident. Signal chat messages from May 23 to June 16 show Zwinck worked with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) on multiple occasions. One federal agent even joked in a message: “Zwinck is gonna get ERO interdictor of the year.”
Under Colorado law, state and local officials are prohibited from aiding federal immigration enforcement or sharing personal information for such purposes. The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office has placed Zwinck on administrative leave and launched an internal investigation.
Officials have not commented on the pending litigation.
