Colombia-born Estefany Rodríguez, whose detention had alarmed press freedom advocates, freed on $10,000 bond
The Nashville journalist who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this month was released from a Louisiana detention center on Thursday after spending 15 days in custody.
Estefany Rodríguez, who covers immigration and other topics for the outlet Nashville Noticias, was detained in Nashville on 4 March and spent a week at a county jail in Alabama before being transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana. Her lawyers said Rodríguez was detained without warrant.
The journalist, 35, was born in Colombia and came to the US five years ago with a valid work permit. She had applied for asylum in the US, as she had fled threats related to her work in her home country. She also applied for a green card after her marriage to a US citizen.
The government has denied that she was arrested without a warrant, and DHS officials previously said she was arrested because her tourist visa expired in 2021.
