Overview

• On July 22, Attorney General Phil Weiser filed a civil lawsuit against Mesa County Deputy Alexander Zwinck for sharing a motorist’s immigration status with ICE via a task-force chat in violation of state sanctuary statutes.
• Weiser’s suit seeks an injunction to bar future assistance to federal immigration authorities and a $50,000 fine on Zwinck, who has been placed on administrative leave while the case remains pending in civil court.
• Deputy Zwinck, a K9 officer with the Western Colorado Drug Task Force, alerted ICE after discovering a Brazilian national with an expired visa during a June traffic stop.
• Colorado’s sanctuary laws, expanded in 2023, prohibit state and local agencies from collaborating with federal immigration enforcement and have prompted disputes over state sovereignty and the Supremacy Clause.
• The Department of Justice amended its May lawsuit on July 30 to include Weiser’s action as evidence that Colorado punishes routine cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents.