Latest news with #DiasGoncalves
NBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Dreamer who spent 15 days in ICE detention says she was 'scared and felt alone'
Scared, alone and heartbroken: that's how 19-year-old Caroline Dias Goncalves said she felt the two weeks she spent in a detention center in Colorado after immigration authorities arrested her following a traffic stop. 'The past 15 days have been the hardest of my life," Dias Goncalves, who is a student at the University of Utah, said in her first statement since being released on bond over the weekend. Born in Brazil and raised in Utah since she was 7 years old, Dias Goncalves is one of nearly 2.5 million Dreamers living in the United States. The word 'Dreamer' refers to undocumented young immigrants brought to the United States as children. Her detention gained attention after questions were raised over how Immigration and Customs Enforcement became aware of Dias Goncalves' location and immigration status quickly after a sheriff's deputy stopped her in Colorado, a state with laws restricting coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Dias Goncalves was driving on Interstate 70 outside Loma on June 5 when a Mesa County sheriff's deputy pulled her over because she was driving too close to a semitruck. The deputy released Dias Goncalves with a warning, but shortly after she exited the highway, ICE agents stopped her, arrested her and took her to an immigration detention center in the city of Aurora. According to Dias Goncalves' statement, one ICE officer who detained her "kept apologizing" and told her he wanted to let her go, "but his 'hands were tied.' There was nothing he could do, even though he knew it wasn't right," she wrote. Dias Goncalves said she forgave the ICE officer "because I believe that people can make better choices when they're allowed to." According to Dias Goncalves, while in detention, "we were given soggy, wet food — even the bread would come wet. We were kept on confusing schedules," she said in her statement. "I was scared and felt alone. I was placed in a system that treated me like I didn't matter." But that changed when officers at the detention center realized she spoke English, according to Dias Goncalves. "Suddenly, I was treated better than others." "That broke my heart. Because no one deserves to be treated like that. Not in a country that I've called home since I was 7 years old and is all I've ever known," she said. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The sheriff's deputy who stopped Dias Goncalves was placed on administrative leave last week pending the outcome of an administrative investigation, the Mesa County Sheriff's Office said. Initial findings of their investigation revealed that the deputy who stopped Dias Goncalves was part of a communication group that included local, state and federal law enforcement partners participating in drug crackdown efforts. Federal authorities began using that information for immigration enforcement purposes, according to the Mesa County Sheriff's Office. " Unfortunately, it resulted in the later contact between ICE and Miss Dias Goncalves.' The Mesa County Sheriff's Office has said it was ' unaware that the communication group was used for anything other than drug interdiction efforts ' and has since removed all members of their office from the group. "I hope no one else has to go through what I did," Dias Goncalves said, adding that over 1,300 people still in the Aurora detention facility continue living "that same nightmare." "They are just like me — including other people who've grown up here, who love this country, who want nothing more than a chance to belong," Dias Goncalves said. In her statement, she expressed her gratitude toward her friends, family and church community who "stood up for me" and "never stopped fighting for me." Now at home with her family, Dias Goncalves said she is trying to move forward and "focus on work, on school and on healing." "But I won't forget this," she said. "Immigrants like me — we're not asking for anything special. Just a fair chance to adjust our status, to feel safe, and to keep building the lives we've worked so hard for in the country we call home." Relatives of Dias Goncalves previously told The Salt Lake Tribune she arrived in the U.S. as a child with her family on a tourist visa, which they overstayed. Finding a way to remain in the country legally, Dias Goncalves applied for asylum. That case remains pending. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told NBC News in an email last week that the visa Dias Goncalves had come in with had expired over a decade ago. McLaughlin added that President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi 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.' Dias Goncalves' attorney, Jon Hyman, has said his client ' has no criminal record and she was not shown a warrant ' at the time of her ICE arrest. Dias Goncalves is a recipient of the national scholarship, which helps undocumented youths with financial needs go to college. Gaby Pacheco, president of was in Aurora when Dias Goncalves was released on bond Friday evening. In a statement, Pacheco said she felt relieved when she saw Dias Goncalves walk out of the ICE detention center. "She never should have been there," Pacheco said. "How many more youth are being funneled into this system of cruelty, locked up for simply existing in the only country they've ever known?" Dias Goncalves' case mirrors that of Ximena Arias-Cristobal, a fellow 19-year-old Dreamer and scholar, in Georgia who was also in immigration detention after police in Dalton wrongly pulled her over. Asked about possible plans for immigration protections for Dreamers, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told NBC News in a statement June 4, 'The Trump Administration's top priority is deporting criminal illegal aliens from the United States, of which there are many.'
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Utah College Student Says ICE Agent Who Detained Her 'Knew It Wasn't Right'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A 19-year-old student at the University of Utah says the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who detained her repeatedly apologized and "knew it wasn't right," but his "hands were tied." Caroline Dias Goncalves was pulled over by police in Fruita, Colorado, on June 5 on the way to Denver. Shortly after being let go by the officer, Dias Goncalves was stopped again a few miles away in Grand Junction—this time by immigration agents. "He kept apologizing and told me he wanted to let me go, but his 'hands were tied.' There was nothing he could do, even though he knew it wasn't right. I want you to know—I forgive you," Dias Goncalves said in a statement. An undated photo from a GoFundMe campaign for Caroline Dias Goncalves, who was pulled over by police in Fruita, Colorado, on June 5. An undated photo from a GoFundMe campaign for Caroline Dias Goncalves, who was pulled over by police in Fruita, Colorado, on June 5. GoFundMe Why It Matters Since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has overseen a hard-line crackdown on immigration. Under the Trump administration, ICE has ramped up arrests across the country. The White House has maintained that anyone living in the country illegally is considered a criminal. What To Know An officer in Fruita stopped Dias Goncalves for allegedly following a semitruck too closely. After she presented her driver's license, the officer questioned its authenticity and asked about her background, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Body camera footage showed that during the encounter, the officer asked: "Where are you from? You have a bit of an accent." "I'm from Utah," Dias Goncalves said. The officer then asked if she had been born and raised there. "No," she said after a pause. "I was born in—gosh. I always forget the town ... down in Brazil." "My parents moved here," she added. The officer let Dias Goncalves go with a warning, but ICE agents later stopped and detained her. She was taken into custody and transferred to the Aurora Contract Detention Facility near Denver. On June 18, a judge ordered her release from ICE custody. "The past 15 days have been the hardest of my life. I was scared and felt alone," Dias Goncalves said in a statement following her release. "I was placed in a system that treated me like I didn't matter. In detention, we were given soggy, wet food—even the bread would come wet. We were kept on confusing schedules," she continued. Dias Goncalves added: "The moment they realized I spoke English, I saw a change. Suddenly, I was treated better than others who didn't speak English. That broke my heart. Because no one deserves to be treated like that. Not in a country that I've called home since I was 7 years old and is all I've ever known." What People Are Saying Caroline Dias Goncalves said in a statement: "I hope no one else has to go through what I did. But I know that right now, over 1,300 people are still in that same nightmare in that Aurora detention facility. They are just like me—including other people who've grown up here, who love this country, who want nothing more than a chance to belong. ... "Immigrants like me—we're not asking for anything special. Just a fair chance to adjust our status, to feel safe, and to keep building the lives we've worked so hard for in the country we call home." Gaby Pacheco, the president and CEO of said in a statement: "Instead of more detentions, and deportations, America's interests and values are better served by delivering education and legal status for Caroline and other Dreamers." Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for public affairs, told Newsweek: "Caroline Dias-Goncalves, an illegal alien from Brazil, was arrested by ICE on June 5, 2025. Her visa expired over a decade ago." The Mesa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on June 16: "The traffic contact occurred on Interstate 70 outside of Loma, Colorado, and lasted less than 20 minutes. Miss Dias Goncalves was released from the traffic stop with a warning. In accordance with Colorado law, the Mesa County Sheriff's Office does not investigate residency status during any law enforcement interactions."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah college student arrested and faces deportation after information is shared in Signal group chat with ICE agents
A Utah college student was arrested and now faces possible deportation after her information was shared by police in a Signal group chat that included agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Caroline Dias Goncalves, 19, who has been in the U.S. since 2012 when she moved with her family from Brazil, is currently detained in Colorado following her arrest on June 5 in Grand Junction. She was pulled over by a Mesa County Sheriff's Office deputy for a traffic violation. Bodycam footage released by the sheriff's office shows that an officer, identified as Investigator Alexander Zwinck, claimed Dias Goncalves was driving too closely to a semi-truck, according to NBC News. She was released with a warning, but moments later, ICE agents swooped, arrested her and took her to an immigration detention center. The sheriff's office stated that the deputy who pulled Dias Goncalves over for the traffic stop had shared information in a Signal group chat that included local, state, and federal law enforcement personnel working on drug interdiction efforts in western Colorado. The Signal messaging app gained national attention in March when Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was accidentally added to a group chat in which national security officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and then-National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, were discussing strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, hours before they were carried out. 'We were unaware that the communication group was used for anything other than drug interdiction efforts, including immigration,' the sheriff's office told Fox 13 Salt Lake City. 'We have since removed all Mesa County Sheriff's Office members from the communication group.' An investigation by the sheriff's office showed that ICE agents had been using material collected in the chat for immigration purposes. 'Unfortunately, [the chat] resulted in the later contact between ICE and Miss Dias Goncalves,' the sheriff's office said, adding that ICE's use of the information provided by the deputy contradicts Colorado state law. Colorado law restricts coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, but does not fully prohibit it. Dias Goncalves is one of 2.5 million 'Dreamers' living in the U.S. — undocumented immigrants brought into the country as children. During the initial traffic stop, she told Zwinck that she was born in Brazil and has lived in Utah for 12 years. The bodycam footage shows the pair chatting about her attendance at the University of Utah and her plans to start nursing school in the spring. Their interaction, which lasted about 20 minutes, ended with Zwink telling her to 'take it easy.' Dias Goncalves is now in ICE custody at the Denver Contract Detention Facility. Relatives told The Salt Lake Tribune that she had arrived in the U.S. as a child with her family on a tourist visa, which they overstayed out of fear of returning to Brazil, having experienced violence. Dias Goncalves and her parents eventually applied for asylum three years ago, which provided them with work permits, 'limited' driver's licenses, and Social Security numbers. She had been working and attending the university on a merit scholarship. The asylum case remains pending. Friends and family have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to cover legal fees. The page reads: 'Caroline has always followed the law, passionately pursued her education and dreamed of a future full of opportunity. Yet she now finds herself unlawfully detained, frightened and far from the safety and support she deserves.' A relative told the Tribune that Dias Goncalves is being held in a cell with 17 other women, the food is inedible, and the staff treat them roughly. Her case mirrors that of fellow Dreamer Ximena Arias-Cristobal, also 19, and, like Dias Goncalves, a recipient of national scholarship, which helps undocumented youths with the costs of college education. Arias-Cristobal was pulled over in Dalton, Georgia, in May, and since being released from detention, has been speaking up about the risks faced by Dreamers as the Trump administration aggressively steps up its detention and deportations of those in the country illegally, despite a promise to focus on criminals.
NBC News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Utah college student detained by ICE after a brief traffic stop to be released on bond
A college student who was detained by immigration authorities following a brief traffic stop earlier this month was granted bond on Wednesday, her attorney, Jon Hyman, confirmed to NBC News. Caroline Dias Goncalves, 19, a student at the University of Utah, was driving on Interstate 70 outside Loma, Colorado, on June 5 when a Mesa County sheriff's deputy pulled her over because she was driving too close to a semitruck. The deputy released Dias Goncalves with a warning, but shortly after she exited the highway, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopped her, arrested her and took her to an immigration detention center. Her detention raised questions over how ICE became aware of her location and immigration status so quickly after the traffic stop in Colorado, which has state laws restricting coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. An administrative investigation from the Mesa County Sheriff's Office revealed that the deputy who stopped Dias Goncalves 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.' Federal authorities began using the information collected in that communication group for immigration enforcement purposes, the Mesa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Monday evening outlining their administrative investigation. 'Unfortunately, it resulted in the later contact between ICE and Miss Dias Goncalves.' "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," Hyman told NBC News. "It is difficult to determine the intention of the deputy or ICE in using this information as a means to unlawfully detain immigrants." The Mesa County Sheriff's Office has said it was ' unaware that the communication group was used for anything other than drug interdiction efforts ' and have since removed all members of their office from the group. Hyman previously told NBC News that Dias Goncalves 'has no criminal record and she was not shown a warrant' at the time of her ICE arrest. Dias Goncalves had her bond hearing two weeks after she was first placed in ICE custody at the Denver Contract Detention Facility. "She was ordered to be released on bond this morning," Hyman said in an email. Born in Brazil and raised in Utah since she was 7 years old, Dias Goncalves is one of nearly 2.5 million Dreamers living in the United States. The word 'Dreamer' refers to undocumented young immigrants brought to the United States as children. Relatives of Dias Goncalves told The Salt Lake Tribune she arrived in the U.S. as a child with her family on a tourist visa, which they overstayed. Finding a way to remain in the country legally, Dias Goncalves applied for asylum. That case remains pending. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told NBC News in an email Wednesday that the visa Dias-Goncalves had come in with had expired over a decade ago. McLaughlin added that President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi 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." Dias Goncalves is a recipient of the national scholarship, which helps undocumented youths with financial needs go to college. Dias Goncalves' case mirrors that of fellow 19-year-old Dreamer and scholar Ximena Arias-Cristobal in Georgia. Police in Dalton wrongly pulled over Arias-Cristobal last month, putting her on the radar of immigration authorities and making her susceptible to deportation. Since her release from immigration detention, Arias-Cristobal has been speaking up about the growing risks Dreamers face as the Trump administration steps up the pace of deportations. Asked about possible plans for immigration protections for Dreamers, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told NBC News in a statement June 4, 'The Trump Administration's top priority is deporting criminal illegal aliens from the United States, of which there are many.'
NBC News
16-06-2025
- NBC News
ICE detains Utah college student after brief traffic stop, raising questions
Questions are surfacing about the immigration detention of a 19-year-old college student from Utah after a traffic stop in Colorado this month. Caroline Dias Goncalves, a student at the University of Utah, was driving on Interstate 70 outside Loma on June 5 when a Mesa County sheriff's deputy pulled her over. The Mesa County Sheriff's Office did not say why. Relatives told The Salt Lake City Tribune the deputy claimed she was driving too close to a semi-truck. The stop lasted less than 20 minutes, and "Dias Goncalves was released from the traffic stop with a warning," the sheriff's office said in a news release Monday. Then, shortly after she exited the highway, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopped her, arrested her and took her to an immigration detention center. "She has no criminal record and she was not shown a warrant," her attorney, Jon Hyman, said in an email. Dias Goncalves is one of nearly 2.5 million Dreamers living in the United States. The word 'Dreamer' refers to undocumented young immigrants brought to the United States as children. Dias Goncalves was born in Brazil and was brought to the United States as a 7-year-old. She has lived in Utah since she was 12 and has an asylum case pending. Friends and relatives question how immigration authorities were alerted to her location. As part of an ongoing "full administrative review," the Mesa County Sheriff's Office determined that the deputy who stopped Dias Goncalves 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." "We were unaware that the communication group was used for anything other than drug interdiction efforts, including immigration," the sheriff's office said. "We have since removed all Mesa County Sheriff's Office members from the communication group." Colorado law restricts coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, but it does not fully prohibit it. Online records show that Dias Goncalves remains in ICE custody at the Denver Contract Detention Facility. ICE did not respond to a request for comment. Dias Goncalves' immigration detention mirrors that of fellow 19-year-old Dreamer Ximena Arias-Cristobal in Georgia. Police in Dalton wrongly pulled Arias-Cristobal over last month, putting her on the radar of immigration authorities and making her susceptible to deportation. Since her release from immigration detention, Arias-Cristobal has been speaking up about the growing risks Dreamers face as the Trump administration steps up the pace of deportations of immigrants who do not have criminal charges or convictions, despite Donald Trump's campaign promises to prioritize deporting violent criminals. Arias-Cristobal and Dias Goncalves are recipients of the highly regarded national scholarship, which helps undocumented youths with financial needs go to college. Dias Goncalves said in a survey of scholars, 'I want to succeed, have a family, make a change living in America.' Gaby Pacheco, president of told NBC News on Monday that scholars like Dias Goncalves are doing everything in their power "to regularize their status." "She has a pending case, which is the aggravating and terrible thing that we're seeing," Pacheco said, adding that the organization is in contact with Dias Goncalves' family. Polls and surveys have consistently found that most U.S. adults favor granting permanent legal status and a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers. Trump even said on NBC News' 'Meet the Press' in December that he wanted to work with Democrats and Republicans on a plan 'to do something about the Dreamers.' Asked about possible plans for immigration protections for Dreamers, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told NBC News in a statement June 4, 'The Trump Administration's top priority is deporting criminal illegal aliens from the United States, of which there are many.'
