Judge Orders DHS To Justify Detention of Journalist

A federal judge has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to justify the detention of Estefany Rodriguez Florez, a 35-year-old Colombia-born journalist for Nashville Noticias, who was arrested by ICE agents last week.

 Estefany Rodriguez Florez

U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson directed the government to file a written explanation this week, with a potential hearing to follow soon. Rodriguez remains in custody at a county jail in Gadsden, Alabama, as of Monday, per ICE records.

Her attorneys filed an emergency petition Wednesday seeking immediate release, alleging improper detention without adequate warrant and violations of her Fourth Amendment rights. An amended complaint Sunday added claims of First and Fifth Amendment violations, asserting the arrest was retaliatory for her reporting critical of ICE operations and the Trump administration's immigration enforcement in Tennessee.

"Her work as a journalist is central to this," said her lawyer Mike Holley. "She’s vulnerable to this kind of retaliation because of her status as a noncitizen."

The arrest occurred when ICE agents stopped a vehicle bearing the Nashville Noticias logo, in which Rodriguez was riding with her U.S. citizen husband. Attorneys argue she was not properly served an administrative warrant until after custody began, and that the warrant—signed by a DHS official rather than a judge—raises legality concerns.

DHS and ICE deny any targeting due to journalism, calling the accusation a "gross smear." A spokesperson stated: "She will receive full due process and remains in ICE custody pending the outcome of her immigration proceedings. Any pending asylum claim does not preclude immigration enforcement."