U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly arrested Estefany Rodriguez Flores, a reporter for a Spanish-language news outlet, in Nashville, Tennessee this week.The Associated Press (AP) reported that Rodriguez was arrested during a traffic stop on Wednesday. His lawyers demanded his immediate release, arguing that ICE did not have a warrant for his arrest, the AP reported.President Donald Trump campaigned on mass deportations, and the policy became a cornerstone of his second term. He said he would particularly target people with violent criminal records, and his administration has stepped up immigration enforcement since returning 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 have shown that Americans are paying attention to Trump’s immigration policy. The administration faces increasing scrutiny over the conduct and tactics of immigration officers in places like Minneapolis, where federal immigration officers shot two US citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretty, in January.Rodriguez was a reporter for Nashville Noticias, a Spanish-language news outlet in Tennessee’s capital. She joins the news outlet in 2022 covering social, family, health, police and immigration issues, the outlet wrote in a statement Friday demanding her release.“Nashville News LLC expresses its respect for U.S. law and hopes that this situation will be resolved favorably for our associate and that he will be released soon, as he needs to be reunited with his young daughter and husband to continue his legal process within the permitted legal framework,” the statement said.He was detained outside a local gym. She was surrounded by multiple vehicles as officers sought her arrest “for reasons that the legal team will explain later,” the outlet reported.Rodriguez was a Colombian citizen and had entered the United States legally, the 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 had raised nearly $6.6 million as of Friday afternoon. According to Newsweek, he wrote, “His family is doing everything possible to get him released as soon as possible and to resolve this as quickly as possible.”Her co-worker Araceli Crescencio said in an Instagram video that she was in a station-marked car at the time of her detention.Crescencio said ICE claimed she intentionally missed two ICE interview dates, but her attorney said that was not true. One was rescheduled due to the winter storm, while another appointment was rescheduled because she did not get into the system before 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 on March 10, 2021, with a tourist visa, valid until March 23, 2021. She failed to leave the country and is in violation of the terms of her visa and currently has no valid immigration status. She will remain in ICE custody pending her immigration proceedings,” the spokesperson said.The spokesperson said the claim that ICE did not have a warrant is “false.”The spokesperson said, “ICE officers had an administrative warrant at the time of the arrest and officers issuing administrative warrants have to have probable cause to issue the warrant. For decades, the Supreme Court and Congress have recognized the propriety of administrative warrants in immigration enforcement cases.”“All individuals who violate U.S. immigration law are subject to arrest and detention, regardless of criminal history,” the spokesperson said.Committee of Journalists US, Canada and the Caribbean program coordinator Katherine Jacobsen wrote in a statement: “The detention of Estefany Rodriguez by Department of Homeland Security agents is part of a shameful and dangerous pattern of the Trump administration’s use of immigration authorities to stifle freedom of the press. Rodríguez came to the United States seeking protection from death threats she received for 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 reprisals for their work. In Rodriguez’s case, federal authorities have shown a callous disregard for this tradition.The GoFundMe reads: “Estefanie is an incredible woman who is deeply dedicated to both her work and her family. As a reporter for the Nashville Noticias, she works tirelessly to inform and serve the community with passion. In addition to her reporting, she is always looking for ways to give back, whether that means helping families in need, delivering meals, or sharing gifts with those who could use a little extra help.A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson previously told Newsweek: “The green card is a privilege, not a right, and under our country’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke green cards if our laws are broken and abused. Lawful permanent residents presenting at a U.S. port of entry with a previous criminal conviction may be subject to mandatory detention and/or asked to provide additional documentation for an immigration hearing.“A new ICE meeting for his case was scheduled for March 17, the AP reports.