Utah College Student with Dreamer Status Detained by ICE After Traffic Stop in Colorado

Caroline Dias Goncalves, a 19-year-old University of Utah student and Dreamer with a pending asylum case, was arrested by ICE agents on June 5 shortly after being released with a warning from a traffic stop in Mesa County, Colorado. The Mesa County Sheriff's Office stated she was initially pulled over for driving too close to a semi-truck and released after less than 20 minutes, but ICE detained her minutes after she exited the highway. Dias Goncalves, who was brought to the U.S. from Brazil at age 7, is among nearly 2.5 million Dreamers and holds a scholarship from TheDream.US program. According to her family, the sheriff's deputy questioned the authenticity of her Utah driver’s license and her residency, citing her accent, but ultimately let her go. The sheriff's office later acknowledged that the deputy was part of a communication group also used by federal immigration agents, suggesting coordination between local law enforcement and ICE. Her ongoing detention in Aurora, Colorado, under reportedly harsh conditions, has raised concerns among advocates and her relatives, especially amid heightened national immigration enforcement.