CHAFFEE COUNTY, CO — A traffic stop by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday resulted in the arrest of Carolina Suarez-Estrada, a 32-year-old Colombian national in the U.S. illegally, after she attempted to evade capture by seeking sanctuary inside a Colorado probation office.
ICE agents were initially targeting Darwin Arriche-Sierra, a 35-year-old Venezuelan citizen with two DUI convictions, who was riding as a passenger in a vehicle driven by Suarez-Estrada.
Instead of stopping, Suarez-Estrada drove to a county probation office in Chaffee County, a jurisdiction previously designated a “sanctuary” area under the Trump administration, and attempted to claim sanctuary there. ICE agents followed and arrested her on-site.
According to ICE, Suarez-Estrada has been served a custody redetermination and will remain in ICE custody while her immigration proceedings continue.
The incident comes amid renewed efforts by federal officials to pressure sanctuary jurisdictions into full cooperation with immigration enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi has given such jurisdictions a one-week deadline to comply or face Department of Justice action.
