Colombian Journalist Freed After 16-Day ICE Detention in Nashville

A Colombian reporter who works for a Spanish-language news outlet in Nashville has been released from federal immigration custody after spending more than two weeks detained. Estefany Maria Rodriguez Florez was freed on a $10,000 bond while her immigration case continues.

A Colombian journalist working for a Spanish-language media outlet in Nashville walked free Thursday after spending over two weeks in federal immigration custody, according to her legal representatives.

Estefany Maria Rodriguez Florez, who works for Nashville Noticias in Tennessee’s capital city, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in early March. Her detention sparked immediate criticism from press freedom organizations, human rights groups, and immigration advocates.

The journalist has resided in the United States for five years and “frequently reports on stories critical of ICE,” according to her legal team. Federal immigration officials claim she violated the terms of her visa.

Following 16 days behind bars, Rodriguez Florez gained her freedom after posting a $10,000 bond, confirmed Mike Holley, an attorney with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition who is handling the journalist’s habeas corpus case.

In his statement, Holley indicated that the reporter’s legal team is pursuing a court order that would prevent ICE from “mistreating her in a similar way in the future.”

The immigration enforcement agency has become central to President Donald Trump’s stricter immigration policies, which civil rights advocates claim undermine free speech protections and due process rights while fostering a dangerous climate. Trump maintains his administration’s approach is designed to reduce unauthorized immigration and strengthen national security.

ICE officials have stated that Rodriguez Florez will be afforded proper legal proceedings.

The journalist had been scheduled to meet with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division in mid-March, her attorneys revealed earlier this month during her detention. Immigration officials had previously postponed two scheduled appointments with her – first because of severe winter weather, then when an agent was unable to locate her appointment in the computer system.

According to her lawyers, Rodriguez Florez entered the United States using a tourist visa, subsequently applied for political asylum, later wed an American citizen, and currently holds valid work authorization. They note that she and her spouse have submitted paperwork requesting adjustment of her immigration status to permanent resident.

The Trump administration contends she lacked authorization to remain in the United States past 2021 under her tourist visa terms. Her legal proceedings will move forward.