A March 4 ICE operation that resulted in the detention of Estefany Rodríguez, a Spanish-language journalist on staff at Nashville Noticias, has prompted two parallel legal battles waged by Rodríguez, her attorney and local advocacy group the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.
Nashville Noticias staffer Estefany Rodríguez faced death threats in Colombia, came to the U.S. legally and has applied for asylum
Monday morning, an immigration court granted Rodríguez bail, set at $10,000, though she remains detained in a Louisiana Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility during the government’s 24-hour window to appeal. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Nashville will hear her argument in a habeas case, a separate avenue for relief that has become frequently pursued in recent months by victims of ICE detention. Winning the habeas case would give Rodríguez protection from being redetained and officially rule that ICE's actions in this case were illegal.
“ Estefany's case is important not because it's unique, but because it highlights the cruel and violent crackdown against our neighbors with the current mass-deportation agenda that we have been fighting against,” Joel Coxander, Rodríguez’s attorney, told reporters on a call on Monday. "In Estefany’s case, we believe this was based in part on her role as a journalist covering ICE and covering their arrests and operations.”
The habeas case argues that Rodríguez was arrested without a warrant, a violation of constitutional rights guaranteed to anyone on American soil. A Colombian national, Rodríguez is married to an American citizen and has a pending asylum claim, a legal work permit and no criminal record, and she recently filed paperwork for lawful permanent residence. Her asylum case stems from threats Rodríguez received due to her reporting in Colombia. Coxander insisted Monday that she has followed all the necessary steps for legal residency in the United States.
Nashvillians ring up elected officials to call for Estefany Rodriguez’s release from ICE custody
In legal filings, the government says Rodríguez was arrested for overstaying a tourist visa that expired in September 2021. Rodríguez had initiated the process for asylum two months prior to her visa expiration.
Coxander also shared that he has been able to speak with Rodríguez only once in recent days, and that she contracted lice while being held in federal detention. Rodríguez's husband, Alejandro Medina, also addressed reporters.
“Estefany came to the U.S. and applied for asylum as a journalist who was targeted and threatened in her home country of Colombia, knowing that the U.S. guarantees freedom of speech for journalists who tell the truth about the actions of their government,” said Medina. “As a heartbroken and worried husband, I'm hoping and praying that Estefany comes home soon and we're able to proceed with the adjustment-of-status process for her to become a permanent resident and eventually a citizen.”
