A Colombian journalist working for Nashville Noticias was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without an arrest warrant on March 4, 2026, in South Nashville, according to an emergency habeas corpus petition filed by her attorneys in federal court.
WSMV— NASHVILLE NOTICIAS reporter Estefany Rodriguez, who reported on ICE, detained by ICE🤔. They claim she missed 2 appointments but 1 was during the ice storm, another they gave her bad info.
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) March 6, 2026
Her husband is a citizen, she’s on a Green card path.
Full: https://t.co/7ARMgCEy0W pic.twitter.com/HSf8AOCcxF
The reporter, Estefany Maria Rodriguez Flores, remains in ICE custody at a detention center. ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Her lawyers filed the emergency petition in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, asserting the warrantless arrest violated her rights. Rodriguez Flores, originally from Colombia, has lived in the U.S. for five years, is married to a U.S. citizen, and has been following legal steps toward citizenship, including a scheduled March 17 meeting with ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Nashville Noticias stated that agents surrounded the vehicle she was in with her husband outside a gym. The vehicle was marked with the outlet's logo, and she was taken into custody during what appeared to be a traffic stop or encounter in South Nashville.
Her attorneys highlighted that Rodriguez Flores "frequently reports on stories critical of ICE" for the Spanish-language media outlet, raising questions about potential retaliation. She joined Nashville Noticias in 2022 and holds a journalism degree from Colombia, where she previously worked at various news outlets and reportedly fled due to threats related to her reporting.
Immigrant rights advocates and her legal team are working to determine the full reasons for the detention and secure her release. This marks at least the second instance of a Hispanic reporter from a Spanish-language outlet in Tennessee being targeted and detained by ICE in recent times.
The case has drawn attention amid broader immigration enforcement actions under the current administration.