Free Press Condemns ICE Arrest of Colombian Journalist Seeking Political Asylum

WASHINGTON — On Friday, Free Press condemned immigration officials for the targeting, arrest and detention of journalist Estefany Rodriguez, a reporter with Nashville Noticias.

Rodriguez was detained Wednesday, despite there being no warrant for her arrest. She had fled Colombia in 2021 after facing threats for her coverage of armed militia groups. Rodriguez came to the United States on a tourist visa and applied for political asylum. She was on a path to citizenship and her husband is a U.S. citizen. Her attorneys have filed an emergency petition in federal court seeking a writ of habeas corpus, or an immediate review of whether or not her detention is legal. 

ICE’s targeting of Rodriguez is a violation of her First Amendment rights as a member of the media and of the public’s right to know important issues of the day. She had previously criticized the Trump administration online and it is unclear if ICE targeted her for her speech or other coverage. 

Free Press Senior Counsel Nora Benavidez said:

“Dictatorships snuff out a free press to terrorize independent journalists and decimate the public’s ability to know what’s happening in the world. The Trump administration consistently targets our most vocal and vulnerable voices to do just that. It deported journalist Mario Guevara for filming a protest. It leveled bogus criminal conspiracy charges against Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for covering a church protest; it detained students indefinitely for speaking out on behalf of Palestinian rights; it has even bullied major corporate media outlets into capitulating to Trump’s extreme political agenda. We’ve analyzed hundreds of Trump administration attacks designed to undermine First Amendment rights. Estefany Rodriguez is the latest to be caught up in this government-led campaign of censorship and control. She must be released from detention immediately.”

###