U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a reporter for a Spanish-language media outlet in Tennessee who had written articles critical of the agency, but agents did not have a warrant, according to court documents recently filed by her attorney.
A court filing filed Friday by ICE challenges the claim that the reporter was arrested without a warrant.
Estefany Rodríguez Florez of Nashville Noticias, who had produced unflattering reports for ICE, was arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop. She is being detained by ICE enforcement and deportation operations, according to documents filed in federal court in Nashville.
His lawyers asked for his immediate release, but ICE asked a judge to deny the request.
Rodríguez, a Colombian citizen, entered the United States legally and has been living in the United States for the past five years, court records filed by her attorney show. She has a valid work permit and has applied for political asylum and legal status through her husband, who is a U.S. citizen. The document presented by his lawyer does not specify the reason for his asylum request.
Rodriguez was with her husband in a vehicle marked Nashville Noticias when it was surrounded by several other vehicles and she was taken to a detention center, the news outlet said in a statement.
ICE scheduled a meeting with Rodriguez about his case, but it was rescheduled twice, first because the office was closed during a winter storm and second because an agent couldn’t find his appointment in the system, his attorneys said in court papers.
A new meeting was then set for March 17.
When she was arrested, Rodriguez was not shown any arrest warrant, only an immigration document asking her to report to ICE. Her attorney, Joel Coxander, spoke with an ICE agent who indicated there was no arrest warrant for her at the time of her arrest, her attorney said in court documents.
However, a court document filed by an ICE attorney said a valid arrest warrant was issued for Rodriguez on Monday and that her visa authorizing her to remain in the United States had expired. The document said his arrest and detention “does not violate any law or regulation.”
In a statement, ICE spokesperson Melissa Egan said Rodriguez was arrested during a “targeted law enforcement operation” and will remain in custody while her case moves through the courts.
Rodríguez joined Nashville Noticias in 2022, covering social, family, health, law enforcement and immigration issues, according to the media outlet’s statement.
“She needs to reunite with her young daughter and her husband to continue her legal process within the framework permitted by the law,” the statement added.
