US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) allegedly arrested Estefany Rodriguez Flores, a reporter for a Spanish-language news outlet, in Nashville, Tennessee, this week.
Rodriguez was arrested during a traffic stop on Wednesday, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Her lawyers called for her to be released immediately, arguing that ICE did not have a warrant for her arrest, AP reported.
President Donald Trump campaigned on mass deportations, and the policy became a cornerstone of his second term. He said he would specifically target those with violent criminal records, and his administration ramped up immigration enforcement since his return to office in January 2025. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that more than 3 million undocumented immigrants were deported during his first term in office.
Recent polls suggested Americans were turning on Trump’s immigration policy. The administration faced growing scrutiny over the conduct and tactics of immigration officers in places like Minneapolis, where federal immigration officers fatally shot two US citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, in January.
Rodriguez was a reporter for Nashville Noticias, a Spanish-language news outlet in Tennessee’s capital. She joined the news outlet in 2022, covering social, family, health, police and immigration issues, the outlet wrote in a statement on Friday, calling for her release.
“Nashville News LLC expresses its respect for US law and hopes this situation will be resolved favorably for our colleague and that she will be released soon, as she needs to reunite with her young daughter and husband to continue her legal process within the permitted legal framework,” the statement reads.
She was detained outside a local gym. She was surrounded by several vehicles as officers demanded her arrest “for reasons that the legal team will specify later,” the outlet reported.
Rodriguez was a Colombian citizen and entered the US lawfully, AP reported. She had been living in the country for the past five years and had a valid work permit. She also applied for political asylum and legal status through her husband.
To support legal fees, her husband created a GoFundMe, which raised nearly $6.6 lakh by Friday afternoon. Her family was “doing everything possible to have her released as soon as possible and to resolve this as quickly as we can,” he wrote, as per Newsweek.
Her colleague, Araceli Crescencio, said in an Instagram video that she was in a station-marked car at the time of her detainment.
Crescencio said ICE claimed that she willfully missed two ICE interview dates, but her lawyer said that was not true. One was rescheduled because of a winter storm, while the second appointment was rescheduled because she was not found in the system ahead of the appointment.
An ICE spokesperson said in a statement to Newsweek that Rodriguez was detained during a “targeted enforcement operation.”
“Rodriguez-Florez entered the United States with a tourist visa March 10, 2021, which was valid until March 23, 2021. She failed to depart the country and is in violation of the conditions of her visa and currently has no lawful immigration status. She will remain in ICE custody pending her immigration proceedings,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said that claims ICE did not have a warrant were “false.”
“ICE officers had an administrative warrant at the time of the arrest and the officers issuing administrative warrants have found probable cause to issue the warrant. For decades, the Supreme Court and Congress have recognized the propriety of administrative warrants in cases of immigration enforcement,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added, “All individuals who violate US immigration law are subject to arrest and detention, regardless of their criminal histories.”
Committee to Project Journalists US, Canada, and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen wrote in a statement: “The detention of Estefany Rodríguez by Department of Homeland Security agents is part of a shameful and alarming pattern of the Trump administration’s use of immigration authorities to clamp down on freedom of the press. Rodríguez came to the United States seeking safety from death threats she received for her reporting in her native Colombia and was in the United States legally at the time of her detention. The United States has traditionally been a safe haven for journalists fleeing retaliation in connection with their work. With Rodríguez’s case, federal authorities have shown a cruel disregard for this tradition.”
The GoFundMe reads: “Estefany is an incredible woman who is deeply dedicated to both her work and her family. As a reporter for Nashville Noticias, she works tirelessly to inform and serve the community with passion. Beyond her reporting, she is always looking for ways to give back, whether that means helping families in need, giving away food, or sharing gifts with those who could use a little extra support.”
A US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson previously told Newsweek: "A green card is a privilege, not a right, and under our nation's laws, our govt has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused. Lawful Permanent Residents presenting at a US port of entry with previous criminal convictions may be subject to mandatory detention and/or may be asked to provide additional documentation to be set up for an immigration hearing."
A new ICE meeting for her case was scheduled for March 17, AP reported.
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