“Estefany Rodríguez Florez, a journalist with Nashville Noticias who has produced critical reporting on [the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency] ICE, was arrested Wednesday [March 4] during a traffic stop, according to documents filed in federal court in Nashville. Her attorney requested her immediate release, but the federal agency asked a judge to deny that request.
Rodríguez, a Colombian citizen, entered the United States legally and has lived in the country for the past five years, according to court records filed by her lawyer. She has a valid work permit and has applied for political asylum and legal status through her husband, who is a U.S. citizen.
Rodríguez said she left Colombia after receiving death threats because of her reporting on crime in the region, according to a statement from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. The organization denounced ‘immigration tactics that detain journalists and any attempt to interfere with journalistic coverage of the enforcement of immigration laws.’”
