Who is Estefany Rodriguez Flores? Nashville journalist arrested by ICE after living legally in US for five years

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly arrested Estefany Rodriguez Flores, a reporter for a Spanish-language news outlet, in Nashville, Tennessee, this week.Rodriguez was arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop, the Associated Press reported. Her attorneys called for her immediate release, citing ICE’s lack of a warrant for her arrest, the Associated Press reported.President Donald Trump campaigned on mass deportations, a policy that became a cornerstone of his second term. He said he would specifically target those with violent criminal records, and his administration has ramped up immigration enforcement since returning to office in January 2025. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said more than 3 million undocumented immigrants were deported during his first term.

Recent polls show Americans are turning against Trump’s immigration policies. The government faces increasing scrutiny over the actions and tactics of immigration officials in places like Minneapolis, where federal immigration officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Nicole Goode and Alex Pretty, in January.Rodriguez is a reporter for the Nashville News, a Spanish-language news outlet in Tennessee’s capital. The news outlet, which she joined in 2022 and covers social, family, health, police and immigration issues, wrote in a statement on Friday calling for her release.“Nashville News LLC expresses its respect for U.S. law and hopes our colleagues will be able to successfully resolve this matter and that she will be released as soon as possible as she needs to be reunited with her young daughter and husband in order to continue her legal proceedings within the permissible legal framework,” the statement read.She was detained outside a local gym. She was surrounded by several cars when police asked to arrest her, “for reasons that the legal team will specify later,” the outlet reported.According to the Associated Press, Rodriguez is a Colombian citizen and entered the United States legally. She has been living in the country for the past five years and has a valid work permit. She also applied for political asylum and legal status through her husband.To pay for legal fees, her husband created a GoFundMe that had raised nearly $660,000 as of Friday afternoon. He wrote that her family was “doing everything possible to get her released as soon as possible and to resolve this matter as quickly as possible,” Newsweek reported.Her colleague Araceli Crescencio said in an Instagram video that she was in a car with station markings when she was detained.Crescentio said ICE claimed she intentionally missed two ICE interviews, but her attorney said that was not the case. One was rescheduled because of a winter storm, and the second appointment was rescheduled because she wasn’t found in the system before the appointment.An ICE spokesperson said in a statement to Newsweek that Rodriguez was taken into custody during a “targeted enforcement operation.”“Rodriguez-Flores entered the United States on March 10, 2021, on a tourist visa valid until March 23, 2021. She failed to leave the country, violated the conditions of her visa, and currently does not have legal immigration status. She will remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings,” the spokesperson said.The spokesman said the suggestion that ICE did not have a search warrant was “false.”“ICE officers have an administrative warrant in their possession at the time of the arrest, and the officer who issues the administrative warrant also finds probable cause to issue the administrative warrant. For decades, the Supreme Court and Congress have recognized the appropriateness of the use of administrative warrants in immigration enforcement cases,” the spokesperson said.The spokesperson added that “all persons who violate U.S. immigration laws are subject to arrest and detention regardless of their criminal record.”“The detention of Estefany Rodriguez by DHS agents is part of a shameful and alarming pattern of the Trump administration using immigration authorities to suppress press freedoms,” Katherine Jacobson, U.S., Canada and Caribbean program coordinator for the Journalists Project Committee, wrote in a statement. Rodriguez came to the U.S. seeking safety from death threats stemming from reporting in his native Colombia and was in the U.S. legally at the time of his detention. The United States has traditionally been a haven for journalists fleeing retaliation for their work. In the Rodriguez case, federal authorities showed a brutal disregard for this tradition. “The GoFundMe reads: “Estefany was an incredible woman who was dedicated to her work and her family. As a reporter for The Nashville Press, she worked tirelessly and passionately to provide information and service to the community. In addition to reporting, she’s always looking for ways to give back, whether it’s helping a family in need, giving away food, or sharing gifts with those who need a little extra support. “A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection previously told Newsweek: “The green card is a privilege, not a right, and under the laws of our country, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are violated and abused. Lawful permanent residents who present a criminal record at a U.S. port of entry may be subject to mandatory detention and/or may be required to provide additional documentation in preparation for an immigration hearing.”“ICE is scheduled to hold a new meeting on her case on March 17, according to the Associated Press.