Estefany Rodríguez, a Nashville-based journalist from Colombia, was arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement this past March. In this episode, Estefany gave Latino USA a shocking account about her detention and the inhuman conditions she experienced and witnessed. Estefany’s lawyers argue that her detention was retaliation for her reporting on immigration enforcement and ICE operations.

We discuss what Estefany’s case shows about the conditions of immigration detention, and what it means that immigrant journalists could be targeted for their reporting in the United States.

This story is part of our democracy and election coverage: The Latino Factor: How We Vote.

Featured image by Luis Luna (Photos courtesy of Estefany Rodríguez, Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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Host: Maria Hinojosa

Producer and reporter: Reynaldo Leaños Jr. and Maria Hinojosa 

Editor: Nicole Rothwell 

Fact Checker: Roxana Aguirre 

Social Media: Luis Luna, Adreanna Rodriguez and Anhelo Reyes

Engineer: Julia Caruso and J.J. Querubin 

Managing Editor: Fernanda Echavarri

Executive Producers: Peniley Ramirez and Maria Hinojosa