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06_24_25_Headlines Ainsley Coogan
Released Utah student describes ICE conditions
A Utah college student who was recently arrested by ICE described the 15 days she spent at the GEO ICE Detention Center in Aurora as the hardest days of her life.
A Mesa County deputy pulled over Caroline Dias Goncalves on Interstate 70 earlier this month for following a semi-truck too closely. She was let go with a warning, but the deputy then shared information about her in a Signal group chat with federal immigration enforcement – including the fact that she was born in Brazil. Dias Goncalves was then stopped by agents in Grand Junction and arrested by federal immigration agents.
Dias Goncalves described that she and others in detention were given soggy and wet food, and were kept on confusing schedules, according to The Denver Post.
She added that, “The moment they realized I spoke English, I saw a change. Suddenly, I was treated better than others who didn’t speak English.”
The deputy was pulled from the Signal group chat following the incident. Colorado District Attorney Phil Weiser is investigating the legality of Dias Goncalves’ arrest.
Colorado law prohibits local law enforcement from carrying out civil immigration enforcement.
Polis ICE compliance lawsuit
Colorado also has a law that generally prohibits state employees from sharing personal information with federal immigration enforcement. Governor Jared Polis has been accused of breaking that law.
Witness testimony began on Monday in a lawsuit filed against Polis for ordering state employees to produce information under an ICE subpoena.
The subpoena, sent to states in April, sought personal information of people who care for unaccompanied immigrant children.
Scott Moss, who filed the lawsuit back in May along with two labor unions, says that disclosing that type of information would violate state law unless it’s part of a criminal investigation.
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment director testified in court yesterday, and said that he was not aware of any specific criminal investigation tied to the ICE subpoena.
A state official at yesterday’s witness testimony added that Polis’ office has not provided information as to whether the subpoenas will be used for child welfare purposes or immigration enforcement.
Meanwhile, Polis’ lawyers say the suit relates to human trafficking and a criminal investigation, not immigration enforcement. The subpoena doesn’t mention a criminal investigation anywhere, according to Colorado Newsline.
District Judge A. Bruce Jones will decide whether to block Polis’ directive to comply with the subpoena after the continuation of testimony this afternoon.
Historic sites executive order
New signage at National Historic Sites is raising concerns about attempts to obscure history in the United States.
Following a Trump executive order earlier this year, signage went up at two historic sites in Colorado.
The signs say, “Please let us know if you have identified…any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.” There’s a QR code to scan to provide information, according to Denver7.
Trump issued the executive order on March 27, and the signs are up at the Amache National Historic Site and at the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic site, both in southern Colorado.
Amache was one of ten Japanese-American internment camps in the United States during World War Two, where more than 10,000 people were held. The United States formally apologized for imprisoning people in those camps in 1988.
At Sand Creek, hundreds of peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho were attacked and killed by U.S. troops in 1864 during a period of colonial expansion.
Today, both locations are administered by the National Park Service. Officials with the service say they are concerned that the true history of those sites is being whitewashed by the current administration.
Both sites could also be affected by the budget bill now before Congress, which contains language for the sale of public lands.
To read a copy of this Executive Order or the 1988 Civil Liberties Act, go to KGNU.org.
Boebert wolf bill
A bill that would remove gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act is working its way through congress.
The Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025 was introduced by Representative Lauren Boebert earlier this year. If it becomes law, it would weaken federal protections for the gray wolves, according to the Denver Post. Back in April, the bill passed its first committee.
Wildlife advocates say that the title is misleading, pointing out that weather is responsible for more cattle deaths than wolves each year.
State wildlife officials say if wolves were removed from the Endangered Species Act, Colorado’s reintroduction program would continue without much change. The federal government would no longer work with Colorado to manage wolves in the state, instead leaving Colorado Parks and Wildlife to investigate wolf deaths.
Loveland Pass Reopens
Loveland Pass has reopened to traffic, after a landslide forced its closure a week ago.
The Colorado Department of Transportation says that seven dump trucks have removed the last of 92 tons of mud and silt that covered Highway 6 at Loveland Pass on June 15.
C-DOT said that motorists may still see maintenance crews in the area, but their Geohazard team has determined the route is safe for travel.
