NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Alejandro Medina III has been pacing back and forth in his home, taking one phone call after another since ICE agents detained his wife, Nashville Noticias journalist Estefany Rodríguez Florez, on Wednesday.
Medina said the couple had just dropped off their daughter at a bus stop when, just blocks away, ICE agents rushed over with guns drawn searching for Rodríguez.
"He's knocking on the window and he's saying Estefany Rodríguez, you're here illegally. You gotta go," Medina said.
Medina told the agent his wife entered the country legally on a visa in 2021 and was waiting on her asylum to be approved — asylum she hoped to gain after fleeing Colombia, where she received threats for reporting on militant groups.
ICE officials told Medina the reason for his wife's arrest was that they considered her a flight risk for missing 2 meetings.
"They make it seem like she missed two visits," Medina said.
Medina said it wasn't until January of this year before Rodríguez was contacted by ICE for the first time. He said they received a letter requesting that she visit their office on January 26.
A massive winter storm shut down practically all of Nashville that same weekend, which meant ICE offices were closed.
Medina said they got another letter in the mail for a makeup appointment, but when he asked ICE days in advance, they couldn't find anything about a scheduled meeting. Attorney Caleb Mundy and Medina double and triple-checked with a duty officer to see if Rodriguez had to show up, and the officer told them "no."
"They just can't find this letter in their system. They can't find the date in the system that she's supposed to come for a visit. They can't find any of that in their system," Medina said.
Medina said he knew his wife was transported to an ICE facility in Alabama before most likely being sent to a facility in Louisiana. Panic began to set in Friday, as Medina and others struggled to find Rodriguez in the ICE database. We later learned that ICE had entered Rodriguez by her full name, Estefany Rodríguez Florez.
Rodríguez's attorneys say they're concerned she was targeted for her reporting, which at times has been critical of ICE operations around Nashville.
When asked if he had ever been concerned about his wife's reporting putting her in harm's way, Medina said he understood her passion for speaking out no matter the risks.
"For certain topics, there's different risks. Every morning when she goes out to report the news, I worry about my wife and I pray for her safety," Medina said.
Rodriguez's attorneys filed an emergency petition in federal court seeking a writ of habeas corpus, demanding an immediate review of whether her detention was legal.
Medina said he has not heard from his wife since her detention. Despite the urgency, he said he is trying to practice patience.
"I'm doing everything that I can to get her as quickly as possible, so we can finally go on our honeymoon," Medina said.
Medina held back tears thinking about the honeymoon that was once put on pause after an ice storm, only for another kind of ICE to once again get in the way.
"Everybody that knows her, really cares about her and I think there's also a lot of reporters and a lot of journalists that feel passionate about one of their colleagues," Medina said.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell shared his thoughts on Friday, when asked about ICE detaining Rodríguez:
"I think Estefany's case is another example of how this is not about dangerous criminals or even actual legal status because she has been in a process of asylum review. And, so, I think this is absolutely highlighting why some of the federal approaches are not right for Tennesseans, and they're certainly not right for Nashvillians.”
State Rep. John Ray Clemmons of Nashville also sent the following statement:
"Ms. Rodríquez Florez serves an important role in our community as a trusted journalist. She provides an invaluable service by shining a well-deserved light on the many contributions of the immigrant community in our city and region and covering local and state politics. When you consider the substance of her work and her recent reporting on anti-immigrant legislation sponsored by Republican state lawmakers, her arrest is all the more alarming. This is an individual who entered our country lawfully, followed the rules and laws, as instructed by our government, and is actively working to become a U.S. citizen. She came here in pursuit of liberty and happiness and to enjoy the constitutional protections afforded the press only to be unlawfully deprived of all of her rights. I join many others in praying that her legal efforts are successful and that she is released soon so that she can continue her vital journalistic efforts to hold our government and government officials, like me and others, accountable."
