Nashville Noticias reporter Estefany Rodríguez was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on March 4, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee, despite being in the United States legally, according to news reports.
At the time of her arrest, Rodríguez was not presented with a warrant, and ICE officials have alleged that there was a warrant out for her arrest in a March 7 post on the X social media platform. She was detained in her car marked with “Nashville Noticias” branding, and in the company of her husband, a U.S. citizen.
Rodríguez arrived in the U.S. from her native Colombia in 2021 to seek asylum after facing death threats in connection with her reporting. She has a pending green card application through her husband and an open asylum case.
In court filings reviewed by CPJ, Rodríguez’s lawyers have argued that she is being detained in retaliation for her reporting, including on immigration and ICE operations, as well as her speech more broadly.
According to the Nashville Banner, Rodríguez was transported to a detention center and scheduled to be transferred to an ICE processing center in Louisiana. On March 10, 2026, Rodríguez was in detention at the Etowah County Jail in Gadsden, Alabama.
In an emailed response to CPJ’s request for comment, a DHS spokesperson falsely said, “A pending green card application and work authorization does NOT give someone legal status to be in our country. Being in detention is a choice.” Work authorization allows an individual to work legally in the United States, according to U.S. immigration law.