U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) allegedly arrested Estefani Rodriguez Flores, a reporter for a Spanish-language news outlet, in Nashville, Tennessee, this week.The Associated Press reported that Rodriguez was arrested during a traffic stop on Wednesday. The Associated Press reported that her lawyers demanded her immediate release, arguing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not have a warrant for her arrest.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 has stepped up immigration enforcement since his return to office in January 2025.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said more than 3 million illegal immigrants were deported during his first term in office.
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Recent opinion polls indicate that Americans are turning against Trump’s immigration policy. The administration has faced increasing scrutiny over the conduct and tactics of immigration officers in places like Minneapolis, where federal immigration officers fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Nicole Judd and Alex Peretti, in January.
Rodriguez was a reporter for the Nashville Noticias, a Spanish-language news outlet in Tennessee’s capital. She joined the news outlet in 2022, covering social, family, health, policing 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 that this situation will be resolved favorably for our colleague and that she will be released soon, as she needs to be reunited with her young daughter and husband to continue her legal proceedings within the permissible legal framework,” the statement read.She was detained outside a local gym. The newspaper reported that several vehicles were surrounding her as officers demanded her arrest “for reasons that the legal team will determine later.”The AP reported that Rodriguez was a Colombian citizen and had entered the United States legally. 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 the legal fees, her husband set up a GoFundMe, which had raised nearly $6.6 million by Friday afternoon. Her family “is doing everything in our power to get her released as soon as possible and resolve this matter as quickly as possible,” he wrote, according to Newsweek magazine.Her colleague, Araceli Crescencio, said in an Instagram video that she was in a station-marked car at the time of her arrest.Crescencio said ICE claimed she intentionally missed two ICE interview appointments, but her attorney said that was not true.
One was rescheduled due to a winter storm, while the second was rescheduled because it could not be found in the system ahead of time.An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson said in a statement to Newsweek that Rodriguez was arrested during a “targeted enforcement operation.”“Rodriguez Flores entered the United States on a tourist visa on March 10, 2021, valid until March 23, 2021. She failed to leave the country and is in violation of the terms of her visa and does not currently have lawful immigration status.
She will remain in ICE custody pending her immigration proceedings, the spokesperson said.The spokesperson said claims that ICE did not have a warrant were “false.”“ICE officers had an administrative warrant at the time of the arrest, and the officers who issued the administrative warrants found probable cause to issue the warrant. For decades, the Supreme Court and Congress have recognized the appropriateness of administrative warrants in immigration enforcement cases,” the spokesperson said.“All individuals who violate US immigration law are subject to arrest and detention, regardless of their criminal history,” the spokesperson added.“The detention of Stephanie Rodriguez by DHS agents is part of a shameful and troubling pattern of the Trump administration’s use of immigration powers to suppress press freedom,” Katherine Jacobsen, program coordinator for the Journalists Project Committee in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean, wrote in a statement.
Rodriguez 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 arrest.
The United States has traditionally been a safe haven for journalists fleeing retaliation for their work. In Rodriguez’s case, federal authorities showed a callous disregard for this tradition.“Stephanie is an amazing woman who is deeply dedicated to her work and family,” the GoFundMe reads.
As a reporter for Nashville Noticias, she works tirelessly to inform and serve the community with a passion. In addition to her reporting, she’s always looking for ways to give back, whether that means helping families in need, distributing food, or sharing gifts with those who could use a little extra support.A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson previously told Newsweek: “A green card is a privilege, not a right, and under our nation’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are violated and abused. Lawful permanent residents who present at a U.S. port of entry with prior criminal convictions may be subject to mandatory detention and/or may be required to provide additional documentation to prepare for an immigration hearing.”
“A new ICE meeting on her case was scheduled for March 17, the AP reported.
