Washington, D.C., March 20, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of Nashville Noticias reporter Estefany Rodríguez from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and calls on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to stop detaining journalists as a tactic to halt or discourage their reporting.
Rodríguez was released Thursday evening from ICE detention on a $10,000 bond after spending over two weeks in law enforcement custody.
“CPJ welcomes the release of journalist Estefany Rodríguez from ICE custody. However, her detention has had a chilling effect, undermining journalists’ ability, especially local reporters, to cover their communities without fear of retaliation,” said CPJ Regional Director of the Américas Jose Zamora. “The government must uphold press freedom and ensure all journalists can work safely and without reprisal.”
In a habeas petition, Rodríguez’s lawyers have argued that her detention is a violation of her First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights, and included the argument that her detention was in relation to her coverage of ICE actions in the United States. The petition is still pending, according to court documents.
Rodríguez was arrested by ICE agents in Nashville on March 4, despite being in the United States legally. At the time of her detention, Rodríguez had an open asylum case and a pending green card application through her husband, who is a U.S. citizen.
Rodríguez’s case points to a larger effort by the Trump administration to use immigration authorities to police speech. Atlanta-based independent journalist Mario Guevara was deported by the Department of Homeland Security last year after he was arrested while livestreaming a protest against the Trump administration. Guevara was also in the country legally at the time of his arrest.
Rodríguez arrived in the U.S. in 2021 and sought asylum after facing death threats in connection with her reporting in her native Colombia.
In response to Rodriguez’s detention, CPJ issued statements calling for her release, led with Free Press a coalition statement with over 40 organizations, and joined an amicus brief from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Rodriguez’s habeas case, in addition to advocacy outreach.