A 19-year-old Utah college student, Caroline Dias Goncalves, who was arrested by federal immigration agents after a Mesa County sheriff’s deputy shared information about her in a law enforcement group chat, has been granted bail, her attorney announced on Wednesday.
Goncalves was pulled over for a traffic violation on Interstate 70 near Fruita on June 5 after following a tractor-trailer too closely, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.
Following the traffic stop, the deputy shared information about the encounter in an encrypted Signal group chat used for drug enforcement purposes, leading to Goncalves’ arrest by federal agents in Grand Junction. She was subsequently detained at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Aurora, leaving her family unaware of her whereabouts for two days.
Originally from Brazil, Goncalves arrived in the U.S. with her family at the age of 7 and overstayed a tourist visa. She currently has a pending asylum application.
Despite Colorado law enforcement’s prohibition on cooperating with civil immigration enforcement under state law, the sheriff’s office claimed they were unaware that the information would be utilized for immigration purposes.
An immigration judge granted Goncalves bail on Wednesday, as reported by advocacy group TheDream.US. Details regarding the terms of her bail and release date were not disclosed, with the organization requesting privacy for Goncalves and her family.
Jon Hyman, Goncalves’ attorney from the Denver-based firm Peak Justice Group, criticized the improper coordination between local law enforcement and ICE that led to her arrest, emphasizing that she has no criminal record and was not presented with a warrant.
Hyman stated, “Investigations should continue to ensure that other young immigrants in Colorado are spared from similar distressing experiences.”
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