CPJ, Free Press lead call for journalist Estefany Rodríguez’s release from ICE detention

The Committee to Protect Journalists and Free Press led a coalition of 40 press freedom, human rights, and media organizations in a joint statement Tuesday calling for the release of journalist Estefany Rodríguez from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Rodríguez was detained on March 4 in Nashville, Tennessee, in a targeted ICE operation, and was not initially served with a warrant. Her legal team has argued that her detention is in retaliation for her reporting on ICE activity for Nashville Notícias.

Rodríguez came to the United States in 2021 from her native Colombia after receiving death threats in connection with her reporting. She has a pending asylum case, active work authorization, and a pending green card application through her husband. Rodríguez has been transported to a local jail in Alabama as of Tuesday. There will be a hearing on her petition for habeas corpus on March 17.

CPJ has previously reported on the case of Atlanta metro-area journalist Mario Guevara, who was deported to his native El Salvador despite being in the country legally at the time of his detention. These cases are part of an alarming pattern of Department of Homeland Security actions to suppress freedom of the press during the second Trump administration, as documented by CPJ.

Read the full statement in English and Spanish.