Journalist Estefany Rodriguez Florez was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Nashville without a warrant, prompting condemnation from press freedom organisations. The Colombian-born reporter, who is married to a US citizen, was taken into custody while sitting in a car bearing her network’s logo one day after covering immigration enforcement operations.
Rodriguez Florez entered the US legally on a tourist visa in 2021 and later filed for political asylum. She has a valid work permit while awaiting a green card, according to her attorneys. Court filings show she had complied with ICE check-in requirements, including a missed appointment due to a snowstorm, for which she was given a rescheduled date.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation said the detention could be retaliation for her reporting, stating: “We don’t yet know if Estefany Rodríguez’s detention was in retaliation for her reporting but we certainly wouldn’t be surprised.” The Committee to Protect Journalists described the arrest as part of a “shameful and alarming pattern” by the Trump administration to clamp down on press freedom.
Rodriguez Florez was covering immigration raids for Spanish-language outlet Nashville Noticias on Tuesday. The next morning, officers surrounded her vehicle, which was marked with the outlet’s logo. Her employer said: “Several men got out and demanded that our colleague be taken into custody.” She sought asylum after receiving death threats for her reporting in Colombia.
The US Attorney’s office in Tennessee claimed she was arrested with a valid warrant and lawfully detained, accusing her of misrepresenting her case. However, government documents cited in her release petition show no warrant was served; lawyers described the document provided as “crumpled up and discarded” with no date of service. An ICE spokesperson said the arrest was part of a “targeted enforcement operation” due to her visa violation and lack of lawful status.
The case follows the deportation of Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara last year. Free Press senior counsel Nora Benavidez said the Trump administration “consistently targets our most vocal and vulnerable voices” to impede the public’s right to know.
