NASHVILLE, Tenn. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Estefany Rodriguez Florez, a reporter for Nashville Noticias, a Spanish-language news outlet in Tennessee, during a traffic stop Wednesday, according to court documents filed in federal court in Nashville. Her attorney said she was not shown any arrest warrant at the time of her detention. ICE has asked a federal judge to deny her attorney’s request for her immediate release.

The case has drawn condemnation from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and raised due-process questions, with Rodriguez Florez’s attorney and an ICE court filing offering conflicting accounts of whether a valid warrant existed when she was taken into custody.

Circumstances of the arrest

Rodriguez Florez was with her husband in a marked Nashville Noticias vehicle when several other vehicles surrounded it and officers took her to a detention center, according to a statement from the news outlet.

Her attorney, Joel Coxander, said in court documents that he spoke to an ICE agent who indicated no arrest warrant existed for Rodriguez Florez at the time of her arrest. When she was detained, she was shown only an immigration document instructing her to appear before ICE, the court documents said.

ICE’s account

A court filing by a lawyer for ICE said an arrest warrant had been issued for Rodriguez Florez on Monday and that her visa authorizing her to stay in the United States had expired. The filing said her arrest and detention “are not in violation of any laws or regulations.”

ICE spokesperson Melissa Egan said Rodriguez Florez was arrested during a “targeted enforcement operation” and will remain in custody as her case proceeds through court.

Rodriguez Florez, a Colombian citizen, entered the United States lawfully and has lived in the country for five years, court records filed by her lawyer show. She holds a valid work permit and has applied for political asylum and legal permanent status through her husband, who is a U.S. citizen.

Rodriguez Florez left Colombia after receiving death threats for her coverage of crime in the region, according to a statement from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

Rescheduled meetings

Court documents filed by Rodriguez Florez’s attorney said ICE had twice rescheduled a meeting with her on her case — first because the agency’s office was closed during a winter storm and a second time because an agent could not find her appointment in the system. A new meeting had been set for March 17.

Journalist response

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists said it “denounces immigration tactics that detain journalists and any efforts to interfere with news coverage of immigration enforcement.”

Rodriguez Florez joined Nashville Noticias in 2022, covering social, family, health, police and immigration issues, including stories that were critical of ICE, according to the Associated Press. Nashville Noticias said in a statement that she “needs to reunite with her young daughter and husband to continue her legal process within the framework permitted by law.”