NELSON: Democrat AG Puts Cops In The Crosshairs, Sues Deputy For Doing His Job

In a state that’s already reeling from crime, fentanyl deaths, and a collapsing trust in public safety, Democratic Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has decided the real threat is a sheriff’s deputy who pulled someone over for tailgating.

This isn’t satire. It’s Weiser’s latest political stunt: a lawsuit against Mesa County Deputy Alexander Zwinck, who made the mistake of doing his job.

His “crime”? Sharing basic information with federal immigration authorities after a routine traffic stop revealed the driver was a Brazilian national with an expired visa.

Weiser’s office calls that a civil rights violation. Normal people call it law enforcement.

Let’s be clear: Deputy Zwinck didn’t beat anyone, didn’t racially profile anyone, didn’t violate any citizen’s constitutional rights. He simply alerted federal agents in his federally-funded drug task force that someone was in the country illegally. That’s not scandalous. It’s what law enforcement has done for decades to keep our streets safe. (RELATED: Colorado Passed Legal Protections For Illegal Immigrants Month Before Terror Attack) 

But Weiser isn’t interested in safety. He’s interested in headlines.

His lawsuit relies on a distorted interpretation of Colorado’s sanctuary statutes, laws that were meant to keep state officers from becoming de facto ICE agents — not to criminalize normal communication between deputies and their federal partners. But that doesn’t matter to Weiser, who values politics over the law.

Weiser clearly has national political ambitions. And nothing says “I’m with the Resistance” like taking a swing at federal immigration enforcement and President Trump.

With this stunt, Weiser has made it clear: follow federal law at your own peril. Do your job, and you might be next.

Zwinck isn’t just any deputy — he’s part of the Western Colorado Drug Task Force, a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program that exists specifically to facilitate coordination between state, local, and federal officers. That includes Homeland Security Investigations agents who enforce both drug and immigration laws. For Weiser to pretend that this coordination was rogue or illegal is dishonest at best, and malicious at worst.

Let’s not forget who the driver was either: she was not a U.S. citizen, but a foreign national who had overstayed her visa and was actively violating federal law. In any sane world, notifying immigration authorities would be considered common sense. Under Phil Weiser’s regime, it’s a punishable offense. (RELATED: ‘Sanctuary State’: Colorado Dems Move To Shut Out ICE) 

This isn’t law and order, it’s theatrics — very dangerous theatrics.

Unfortunately, every officer in Colorado will pay the price. If Weiser is willing to stretch the law to slap a $50,000 fine on a deputy for upholding it, what else is he willing to do in pursuit of political gain? How many other officers are looking over their shoulders right now, wondering if doing their job will land them in court?

This lawsuit should be laughed out of court, but more importantly, it should be remembered for what it is: a cynical, calculated betrayal of the men and women who keep Colorado safe.

Chris Nelson is the Senior Investigator for Judicial Watch. He is a former Special Agent and Intelligence Operations Specialist who retired after over 35 years of government service.