Americas

Washington, D.C., March 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges lawmakers to ask Sen. Markwayne Mullin about protecting media freedom in the United States in advance of a full Senate confirmation vote on his nomination for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary given the progressively active role the department has taken in suppressing freedom of…

Washington, D.C., March 18, 2026— The Trump administration’s efforts to intimidate news outlets over their coverage of U.S. military action in the Middle East directly threatens the public’s right to know, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr warned in a post on X that “broadcasters that are running hoaxes…

Miami, March 17, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Haitian authorities to find and ensure the safe return of Haitian journalists Osnel Espérance and Junior Célestin, who were abducted Friday while reporting in the capital city Port-au-Prince, according to Haitian media outlets Le Nouvelliste and VantBef Info.  Espérance and Célestin, who work respectively for Uni…

CPJ signed a joint letter on March 16 with 34 diaspora, human rights, and civil society organizations urging the U.S. Congress to hold markup sessions for the bicameral and bipartisan Transnational Repression Policy Act (H.R. 4829/S.2525). The bill would establish stronger U.S. mechanisms to protect people from foreign government threats and to hold perpetrators accountable….

Nashville Notícias reporter Estefany Rodríguez was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on March 4, 2026, despite being in the United States legally. She arrived in the U.S. in 2021 and sought asylum after facing death threats in relation to her reporting in her native Colombia. At the time of her detention, Rodríguez…

São Paulo, March 16, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Brazilian authorities to end the police investigation against journalist Luís Pablo Conceição Almeida, known as Luís Pablo, and return personal equipment seized from his house on March 10 by order of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) Judge Alexandre de Moraes. The Federal Police raided Luís…

Washington, D.C., March 16, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Monday’s order to release on bond journalist Estefany Rodríguez, whose lawyers said she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without being presented a warrant and urges the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release her immediately and unconditionally. On Monday, an immigration judge…

The Committee to Protect Journalists and Free Press led a coalition of more than 40 press freedom, human rights, and media organizations in a joint statement Tuesday calling for the release of journalist Estefany Rodríguez from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Rodríguez was detained on March 4 in Nashville, Tennessee, in a targeted ICE…

Washington, D.C., March 6, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on immigration authorities to unconditionally release journalist Estefany Rodríguez, who was detained without warrant on March 4 despite being in the United States legally, according to news reports. Rodríguez has reported on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity for Nashville Notícias. According to multiple reports, Rodríguez was detained…

Mexico City, March 5, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Panamanian authorities to immediately rescind a four-month-old “protection order” issued against political commentator Sabrina Bacal and Venezuelan investigative journalist Roberto Deniz, which prohibits them from reporting on the alleged business dealings of two prominent state contractors.  On Friday, a guarantee judge is scheduled to hold…