NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville Noticias staffer was detained by ICE in South Nashville despite there being no warrant for her arrest.
According to the Nashville Banner, Estefany Rodríguez was in the car with her husband who is a U.S. Citizen, is a citizen of Colombia who entered the country lawfully on a tourist visa in 2021.
She applied for political asylum. According to Joel Coxander, her immigration attorney, she was forced to flee Colombia and seek asylum because of her work as a journalist.
ICE agents detained Rodriguez after she dropped her daughter off at a bus stop. She and her husband were in a marked news car at the time.
The Banner stated in their article that she has been following the legal steps to citizenship.
ICE did not respond to a request for comment before the Banner's publication.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Rodriguez’s family and her legal bills.
This is the full statement from Nashville Noticias as reported by the Nashville Banner:
On March 4, Estefany Rodríguez, a reporter for Nashville Noticias and Univision 42 Nashville, was with her husband, Alejandro Medina III, outside the gym located at 2615 Murfreesboro Pike, when the vehicle they were traveling in (marked with the Nashville Noticias logo) was surrounded by several other vehicles. Several men got out and demanded that our colleague be taken into custody for reasons that the legal team will specify at a later date. Estefany Rodríguez was taken to a detention center. Estefany Rodríguez holds a degree in journalism from Colombia, her native country, where she has worked for several years at various news outlets.
She joined the Nashville Noticias team in 2022, covering social, family, health, police, and immigration issues. Nashville Noticias LLC expresses its respect for the laws of the United States and hopes that this situation will be resolved favorably for our colleague so that she can be released soon, as she needs to reunite with her young daughter and husband to continue her legal process within the framework permitted by law. Her legal team at MIRA Legal, as well as the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Coalition (TIRRC), are providing legal representation in the case and will have details on the progress and responses from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Tennessee Federal Court.
Nashville Noticias will also be providing updates on its social media platforms and website, nashvillenoticias.com. We trust in the justice system of the United States of America.
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