NASHVILLE, Tenn (WZTV) — A Nashville Noticias reporter who has been held in immigration detention for over two weeks has now been released after posting bond, according to the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition.
Estefany Rodríguez Flórez was released on Thursday, March 19 after spending 16 days in ICE detention.
Her bond had been set at $10,000 by a judge earlier this week.
Attorneys with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition said Rodríguez Flórez had been held at a detention center in Louisiana and is now returning home to Nashville.
“Today we celebrate that Estefany has been released from the ICE detention center in Louisiana and is on her way home to be with her family,” attorney Mike Holley said in a statement. “We are grateful that Estefany is able to walk away with her freedom to be with her family as she continues to fight for her right to remain in her community and in the US.”
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Rodríguez Flórez was granted bond on March 16, but initially remained in custody after attorneys for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reserved the right to appeal the decision.
Her legal team has also filed a habeas corpus petition in federal court, challenging both her arrest and continued detention. Attorneys argue the arrest was conducted without a warrant and in retaliation for her work as a journalist, raising First Amendment concerns.
The case is being heard in federal court before Eli Richardson, where attorneys say they plan to continue pursuing the petition despite her release.
Rodríguez Flórez entered the United States on a tourist visa and later applied for asylum, according to her attorney. Her legal team has said she fled Colombia after reporting on government corruption and receiving threats.
She is married to a U.S. citizen, has applied for permanent residency, and allegedly holds a valid work permit.
ICE officials have said she was detained for allegedly overstaying a visa that expired in 2021.
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Her release does not end the legal battle, as her immigration case and federal court challenge are still ongoing.
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