Caroline Dias Goncalves, a 19-year-old student at the University of Utah and a proud TheDream.US Scholar, came to the United States as a child seeking safety, stability, and opportunity. Like thousands of other Dreamers, she grew up in this country, considers it her only home, and has worked hard to pursue the American Dream. That dream was unjustly shattered on June 5, 2025, when ICE detained Caroline after a traffic stop in Colorado—a stop that quickly escalated due to what appears to be collusion between local police and immigration enforcement. 

Despite having no criminal record and being a full-time college student pursuing a career in nursing, Caroline is now being held in a for-profit immigration detention center in Aurora, Colorado. She is sharing a cell with 17 other women under harsh conditions, far from her family, her university, and the community that supports her.

This is not justice. This is the criminalization of youth who dare to dream.

Caroline and her family applied for asylum years ago—a process that remains unresolved. She holds a valid work permit, pays taxes, and has contributed positively to her campus and her community. Yet she is being treated like a threat, not a student. Like so many Dreamers, Caroline’s only "crime" was coming to this country as a child in search of a better life.

We must call this what it is: a moral failure and an assault on our shared values.

Instead of nurturing her talent and potential, our immigration system is locking Caroline away in a private facility that profits from human suffering. Dreamers belong in classrooms—not cages. America cannot claim to be the land of opportunity while detaining the very students who represent our nation’s future.

We demand that ICE release Caroline immediately and that the immigration judge overseeing her case grant her bond without delay. She deserves to continue her education, care for her family, and contribute to her community in peace.

Please sign this petition to urge ICE and the immigration court to do the right thing:
Free Caroline Dias Goncalves now.

#FreeCaroline #LetHerLearn #DreamersBelongHere #EducationNotDeportation #Dreamers #DreamAct #EducationNotDetention #NoMorePrivatePrisons