MESA COUNTY, Colo. — Mesa County commissioners on Tuesday voted to countersue Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser over a lawsuit against a county deputy who allegedly shared information with federal immigration enforcement agents in violation of state law following a traffic stop in early June.
Weiser sued Mesa County Deputy Alexander Zwinck last month, claiming the deputy shared information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in a Signal group chat after stopping 19-year-old Brazilian national and Utah nursing student Caroline Dias Goncalves on June 5. The woman had an expired visa but no criminal history.
Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell claimed other law enforcement agencies in that Signal group chat, such as the Colorado State Patrol, also shared information with ICE and should be held to the same standard. He also asked Weiser to drop the lawsuit against Zwinck and let agencies handle internal discipline. In response to the Weiser’s lawsuit, Mesa County Commissioners Cody Davis, Bobbie Daniel and JJ Fletcher said Tuesday they would file suit “to protect the constitutional rights of Mesa County employees.”
“The filing of this complaint is intended to seek legal clarity regarding the role and responsibilities of local law enforcement under current state law, Senate Bill 25-276, and to protect Mesa County’s legal and financial interests,” the commissioners said in a joint statement.
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