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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a Spanish-language Tennessee news outlet’s reporter who had done stories critical of the agency – but agents didn’t have a warrant, according to court documents filed recently by her lawyer.
A court filing Friday by ICE disputes the assertion that the reporter was arrested without a warrant.
Estefany Rodriguez Florez of Nashville Noticias, who had produced reports that were unflattering to ICE, was arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop. She is being detained by ICE’s enforcement and removal operations, according to documents filed in federal court in Nashville.
Her lawyers called for her immediate release, but ICE has asked a judge to deny the request.
Rodriguez, a Colombian citizen, entered the United States lawfully and has been living in the US for the past five years, court records filed by her lawyer show. She has a valid work permit, and she has applied for political asylum and legal status though her husband, who is a US citizen. The document filed by her lawyer does not specify a reason for her asylum request.
Rodriguez was with her husband in a marked Nashville Noticias vehicle when it was surrounded by several other vehicles and she was taken to a detention center, the news outlet said in a statement.
ICE scheduled a meeting with Rodriguez on her case but it was rescheduled twice, first because the office was closed during a winter storm and the second time because an agent couldn’t find her appointment in the system, her lawyers said in court documents.
A new meeting was then set for 17 March.
When she was arrested, Rodriguez was not shown any arrest warrant – only an immigration document telling her to appear before ICE. Her lawyer, Joel Coxander, has spoken to an ICE agent who indicated that there was no arrest warrant for her at the time of her arrest, her lawyer said in court documents.
However, a court filing by a lawyer for ICE said a valid arrest warrant was issued for Rodriguez on Monday and her visa authorizing her to stay in the US had expired. The filing said her arrest and detention “are not in violation of any laws or regulations”.
In a statement, ICE spokesperson Melissa Egan said Rodriguez was arrested during a “targeted enforcement operation” and she will remain in custody as her case proceeds through court.
Rodriguez joined Nashville Noticias in 2022, covering social, family, health, police and immigration issues, the news outlet’s statement said.
“She needs to reunite with her young daughter and husband to continue her legal process within the framework permitted by law,” the statement added.
