The notice reportedly sent by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Estefany Rodriguez, the Colombian journalist who was recently detained while living in Nashville, appears to be the form frequently used when the agency needs to communicate about active immigration cases.
According to the Nashville Banner, Rodriguez is represented by immigration attorney Joel Coxander, who is part of a legal team involving both MIRA Legal and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Coalition (TIRRC). The Nashville Noticias and Univision 42 journalist is reportedly at an ICE processing center in Louisiana after being detained by federal immigration authorities on Wednesday.
In remarks to the outlet, Coxander said the detention followed Rodriguez’s issuance of a G-56 letter on January 26, which he described as an invitation to voluntarily appear before federal immigration officials, and said the documents “cite no legal requirement to come.”
While her attorney described the appearance as optional, ICE Public Affairs Officer Lindsay Williams told KATC last year that the document was one of the most common ways immigration officials contact an individual with a pending immigration case.
“Yes, the form you’re referring to is a G-56, a standard form that ICE uses to alert people that they need to come and check in,” Williams told the Louisiana television station in April 2025. “They have a pending appointment.”
Asked about the lack of details present on the document, Williams told the outlet, “Immigration stuff is protected by privacy, so they’re not going to put your exact situation on a thing they’re going to mail out.”
The Tennessee Star contacted ICE to obtain more information about Rodriguez’s case, but did not receive a response prior to press time.
While Rodriguez’s attorney said the G-56 letter’s request was optional, the Banner reported that Rodriguez originally intended to appear, but the federal agency’s office closed on January 26 due to Winter Storm Fern.
When she was assigned February 25 as a make-up date for her appearance, the outlet reported that her husband and “an agent of Coxander’s” visited the ICE facility to ask whether the meeting was required.
The agency reportedly was unable to find Rodriguez’s name in its system, according to the Banner, which said Rodriguez was instead instructed to appear on March 17. She was detained during a traffic stop on Wednesday.
Rodriguez reportedly entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2021, but later overstayed the terms of the visa. Her attorney nonetheless told the Banner that Rodriguez’s first communication with immigration authorities occurred in January.
Her lawyer additionally told the outlet she filed an asylum petition, fearing torture or persecution if returned to Colombia, but the Banner did not report when Rodriguez made the request. Asylum petitions are time-limited and must be filed within the first year after an individual arrives in the United States.
Rodriguez is also reported to be working to adjust her legal status after marrying an American citizen, though it is unclear where she is in this process, or how long the journalist has been working toward the adjustment.
Part of her legal team, TIRRC, has also sued to obtain the names and records of illegal aliens detained during the May 2025 joint enforcement operation between ICE and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) that saw nearly 200 detained.
State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) said in January that more than 6,200 illegal aliens were removed from Tennessee during the first year after President Donald Trump began his second term in the White House.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Estefany Rodriguez” by Estefany Rodriguez.
