NASHVILLE, Tennessee
Estefany Rodríguez Flórez, a Univision news reporter in Tennessee who has written articles critical of ICE, was detained and arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She was arrested Wednesday, March 4, 2026, without a warrant. Her lawyer requested her immediate release, but ICE asked a judge to deny the request.
The administration of President Donald Trump said that a Colombian journalist from a Spanish-language news outlet in Tennessee, arrested by federal immigration agents, will receive due process.
Rodríguez, a Colombian citizen, entered the United States legally and has lived there for five years, according to court records filed by her lawyer. She has a valid work permit and has applied for political asylum and legal status through her husband, who is a U.S. citizen.
Rodríguez stated that she left Colombia after receiving death threats for her coverage of crime in the region, according to a statement from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. The association stated that it “denounces immigration tactics that detain journalists and any attempt to interfere with news coverage of immigration enforcement.”
Rodríguez was with her husband in a Nashville News vehicle when it was surrounded by several vehicles and she was taken to a detention center.
A court document filed Friday by an ICE attorney indicated that an arrest warrant had been issued for Rodríguez on Monday and that her visa, which authorized her to remain in the United States, had expired. The document stated that her arrest and detention “do not violate any laws or regulations.” ICE spokeswoman Melissa Egan stated that Rodríguez was arrested during a “targeted enforcement operation” and that she will remain in custody while her case proceeds in court.
Court documents filed by Rodriguez’s attorney indicate that her lawyer, Joel Coxander, spoke with an ICE agent who stated there was no arrest warrant for her at the time of her arrest. When she was arrested, Rodriguez was only shown an immigration document instructing her to appear before ICE, according to the documents.
Rodriguez’s attorney stated in court documents that ICE had rescheduled a meeting with Rodriguez about her case twice: the first time because the office was closed during a winter storm, and the second time because an agent could not find her appointment in the system. A new meeting was scheduled for March 17.
Rodriguez joined Nashville News in 2022, covering social, family, health, law enforcement, and immigration issues. “She needs to be reunited with her young daughter and husband to continue her legal process within the framework permitted by law,” according to the news outlet’s statement.
“These actions indicate retaliation against Rodríguez, in violation of the First Amendment, because of her work as a journalist, including reporting on ICE,” the complaint reads in part.
The government, in its own complaint, stated that she was arrested during a targeted police operation.
“ICE arrested Estefany Rodríguez-Florez, an undocumented immigrant from Colombia, on March 4 during a targeted police operation,” the complaint reads. “Rodríguez entered the United States on a tourist visa on March 10, 2021, valid until March 23, 2021. She did not leave the country, is violating the terms of her visa, and currently lacks legal immigration status.”
“She will remain in ICE custody while her immigration case is being resolved,” the agency continued. “All individuals who violate U.S. immigration law are subject to arrest and detention, regardless of their criminal history.”
