Federal immigration authorities have detained a Colombian journalist working for a Spanish-language news organization in Nashville, with the Trump administration stating she will receive proper legal proceedings.
Estefany Maria Rodriguez Florez, who works as a reporter for Nashville Noticias, was apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Tennessee’s capital city on Thursday. She is currently being held at an ICE detention facility.
Federal agents claim Rodriguez Florez breached the terms of her visa. However, her legal representation told local news outlets that “up until now, she hasn’t had a case with ICE charging her with anything.”
According to her attorneys, Rodriguez Florez has been residing in the United States for five years and “frequently reports on stories critical of ICE.” Her legal team filed an urgent petition in federal court, claiming she was apprehended without a proper warrant.
Both ICE officials and Department of Homeland Security representatives clarified on Friday that officers possessed an “administrative warrant” during Wednesday’s arrest.
“She will receive full due process and remains in ICE custody pending the outcome of her immigration proceedings,” a DHS spokesperson stated.
ICE has become central to Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, which civil rights groups argue undermines free speech protections and due process rights while fostering a dangerous climate. Trump maintains his policies are designed to reduce unauthorized immigration and strengthen national security.
Her legal team revealed that Rodriguez Florez had a scheduled appointment with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations for March 17. The agency had previously postponed meetings with her twice – first because of severe winter weather, then when an officer couldn’t locate her appointment in their system.
Nashville Noticias reported that their journalist was with her spouse outside a fitness center on Wednesday when officers surrounded their vehicle, which displayed the news organization’s branding, and took her into custody.
Her attorneys explain that Rodriguez Florez initially entered the country on a tourist visa, subsequently applied for political asylum, later wed an American citizen, and currently holds a valid employment authorization. They note that she and her husband have submitted paperwork to change her immigration status to permanent resident.
The Trump administration contends that her tourist visa did not permit her to remain in the United States past 2021.
