ICE-Detained Journalist Estefany Rodriguez Has Disappeared: 'We Don't Know Where She Is'

A reporter based in Tennessee who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers has reportedly gone missing. According to Estefany Rodríguez's family, they could not track her after federal authorities detained her without a warrant on Wednesday.

Prior to her reported disappearance, Rodríguez was transferred to the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center. Now, her family and colleagues face uncertainty as her whereabouts remain unknown.

Where Is Estefany Rodríguez?

Rodríguez, a journalist for Spanish-language outlet Nashville Notícias, was taken by ICE officers on Wednesday without a warrant. On Friday, however, her family could no longer track her.

Pablo Manríquez, an editor for the Migrant Insider newsletter, has been following Rodríguez's case. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, he wrote 'ALERT: ICE HAS DISAPPEARED NASHVILLE NOTICIAS REPORTER ESTEFANY RODRÍGUEZ,' while sharing an update from Rodríguez's spouse.

'We don't know where she is,' her husband, Alejandro, told Manríquez. According to the editor, the ICE detainee locator initially showed that Rodríguez was in Alabama. However, 'Now it shows zero results for her.'

The development has alarmed many. Some called the arrest 'illegal' and 'criminal.' Another X user suggested it was 'not a good sign', citing a similar incident involving a family friend. 'From what I understand, this usually means she got switched to another detention centre or is already in the process of deportation,' @xvzn34 commented.

Arrested Without a Warrant and Moved to Louisiana

ICE agents apprehended Rodríguez on Wednesday without a warrant, a move that has drawn criticism from legal experts and human rights groups. She was subsequently transported to a detention facility in Louisiana, which complicates legal efforts to secure her release, physically removing her from her community and legal counsel in Tennessee.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for her immediate release, describing the detention as a threat to press freedom. CPJ US, Canada, and Caribbean Programme Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen described Rodríguez's arrest as 'part of a shameful and alarming pattern of the Trump administration's use of immigration authorities to clamp down on freedom of the press.' Jacobsen noted that Rodríguez came to the US legally to 'seek safety from death threats she received for her reporting in her native Colombia.'

'The United States has traditionally been a safe haven for journalists fleeing retaliation in connection with their work. With Rodríguez's case, federal authorities have shown a cruel disregard for this tradition,' Jacobsen added.

A Career Covering ICE Raids

Rodríguez is well-known in the Nashville area for her diligent reporting on the Hispanic community and the impact of federal enforcement. She has spent a significant portion of her career covering a series of ICE raids, providing a voice to those often ignored by mainstream media.

Her investigative work frequently highlighted the human cost of deportation and the procedural practices of immigration agents. This specific focus on the agency now detaining her has led many to question if her arrest was a retaliatory measure for her journalism.

She worked for several Spanish-language outlets, documenting the shifting landscape of immigration policy. Her colleagues describe her as a fearless reporter who never backed away from a difficult story, even when it involved personal risk.

ICE Calls Rodríguez for an Interview

On 26 January, Rodríguez received a G-56 call-in letter, which ICE typically uses to request an interview or documents, though such letters often precede detention. She missed her first appointment when a winter storm hit Nashville and was given a rescheduled date. Two days before that appointment, she, her husband, and Caleb Mundy, a representative for her immigration attorney Joel Coxander, visited the ERO office, where they were told her appointment was not in the system. The duty officer confirmed she did not need to appear and advised her to return on 17 March.

The Supervisory Detention and Deportation Officer (SDDO), however, deemed her a flight risk after she missed the two appointments. According to Mundy, they had a 'mountain of evidence' in her favour but were not given the opportunity to present it before her arrest. 'She is somebody that has been trying to follow the rules the whole time,' Coxander said of Rodríguez.

Rodríguez has no criminal record and has lived in the US for years. The uncertainty surrounding her location continues to prevent her legal team from filing the necessary motions to halt her deportation.