NASHVILLE, Tennessee: A reporter for a Spanish-language news outlet in Tennessee was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but court documents filed this week by her lawyer showed that agents didn't have a warrant.

In a court filing on March 6, ICE disputed the assertion that the reporter was arrested without a warrant.

Estefany Rodriguez Flores, a reporter for the Spanish-language news outlet Nashville Noticias, was arrested on March 4 during a traffic stop. According to documents filed in a federal court in Nashville, she is now being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Her lawyers have asked for her immediate release, but ICE has requested that a judge reject that request.

Rodriguez is a citizen of Colombia. Court records from her lawyer say she entered the United States legally and has been living there for the past five years. She has a valid work permit and has applied for political asylum. She has also applied for legal status through her husband, who is a U.S. citizen. The documents do not explain why she applied for asylum.

According to a statement from Nashville Noticias, Rodriguez was with her husband in a marked company vehicle when several other vehicles surrounded them, and she was taken to a detention center.

ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Her lawyers said ICE had earlier scheduled a meeting with Rodriguez about her case, but it was postponed twice—first because the office was closed due to a winter storm, and the second time because an agent could not find her appointment in the system. A new meeting was later scheduled for March 17.

When Rodriguez was arrested, her lawyer said she was not shown an arrest warrant. She was only given an immigration document asking her to appear before ICE. Her lawyer, Joel Coxander, said an ICE agent told him that there was no arrest warrant at the time of her arrest.

However, an ICE lawyer later told the court that a valid arrest warrant had been issued for Rodriguez on Monday and that the visa allowing her to stay in the U.S. had expired. The filing said her arrest and detention did not break any laws or rules.

Rodriguez joined Nashville Noticias in 2022. She has reported on social issues, families, health, police matters, and immigration.

The news outlet said she should be allowed to return to her young daughter and husband while continuing her legal case as permitted by law.