Utah college student says ICE agent who detained her apologized saying he "knew it wasn't right" but said his "hands were tied"
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.
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 theDream.US, 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."
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