A Colombian journalist who works for a Spanish-language news organization in Nashville and was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in early March has been released from detention, the reporter's legal team announced on Thursday.
The journalist, who has lived in the United States for five years and frequently covers stories critical of ICE, was taken into custody in the Tennessee capital. ICE detained her after alleging she had violated the conditions of her visa.
After 16 days in ICE custody, the reporter was released on a $10,000 bond, according to Mike Holley, an attorney with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition who is representing the journalist in a habeas corpus action. Holley said the reporter’s lawyers are seeking a court order to bar ICE from subjecting her to similar treatment in the future.
ICE has stated that the journalist will receive due process. Her legal team previously said she had a meeting scheduled for mid-March with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. The attorneys noted that ICE had twice rescheduled earlier appointments - once due to a winter storm and another time when an agent could not locate her appointment in the agency’s system.
According to her lawyers, the journalist initially entered the United States on a tourist visa, subsequently filed for political asylum and later married a U.S. citizen. She currently holds a valid work permit, and she and her spouse have applied for permission to adjust her status to that of a lawful permanent resident.
The Trump administration has maintained that she was not authorized to remain in the United States beyond 2021 on her tourist visa. Officials allege the journalist remained without authorization after that date. The legal case against her remains ongoing.
Her detention prompted swift criticism from human rights, immigration advocacy and press freedom organizations, which highlighted concerns about the implications for journalists and immigrant communities. ICE has been a central element of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts - policies that rights advocates contend infringe on free speech and due process and contribute to an unsafe environment. The administration has said its measures are intended to reduce illegal immigration and enhance domestic security.
Background and procedural notes:
- The reporter works for a Spanish-language outlet based in Nashville.
- ICE cited visa violations as the basis for detention.
- The reporter was released on a $10,000 bond after 16 days in custody; habeas proceedings were filed on her behalf.