Texas Diocese Calls Nun's Detainment by ICE 'Wildly Disturbing'
Lawmakers said they worked with the Department of Homeland Security to secure her release after parish officials reported she was detained on the way to Mass.
- On Sunday, June 28, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Sister Leticia Ugboaja, a member of the Nigerian-based Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy, while walking to Sunday Mass in McAllen, Texas.
- Known as 'Sister Letty,' the nun serves as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion at Our Lady of Sorrows Church and works as a registered nurse at a McAllen-based medical center.
- Following the detainment, Republican Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz contacted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to 'resolve Sister Letty's detainment as quickly as possible,' while Democratic Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar also intervened.
- De La Cruz and Cuellar confirmed later that day that Ugboaja was released and sent home after their communications with Mullin and Tom Homan, ending the hours-long detention.
- Foreign-Born religious individuals in the border area are now 'cautious' following the incident, as Sister Rose noted that many sisters are concerned about their own status despite possessing valid immigration documents.
22 Articles
22 Articles
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ICE detention of South Texas nun raises hard questions the agency still won’t answer
Federal immigration agents detained a 56-year-old Catholic nun while she walked to Sunday Mass in McAllen, Texas, handcuffed her, confiscated her rosary, and transferred her to a detention facility an hour away, all before members of Congress from both parties intervened to secure her release. Days later, the Department of Homeland Security has not explained...
Catholic bishop seeks information on 'wildly disturbing' ICE arrest of nun walking to South Texas church
The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville is working to gather information on Sunday’s arrest of a nun as she was walking to church in McAllen, calling circumstances behind the actions by federal immigration agents “wildly disturbing.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detained Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja, a 56-year-old nun from Nigeria, and released her later […] The post Catholic bishop seeks information on ‘wildly disturbing’ IC…
Nigerian nun arrested on way to church released from US custody
A Nigerian Catholic nun, Sister Leticia Ugboaja, has been released from the custody of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after she was arrested while walking to Mass in south Texas. Ugboaja was on her way to Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas, near the US-Mexico border, when ICE officers detained her, according to a statement issued by the church on social media. The incident drew widespread attention after the …
A nun and registered nurse was detained by ICE while walking to church in Texas. Then members of Congress stepped in on her behalf
A Catholic nun who also works as a registered nurse was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers while walking to Sunday Mass in South Texas, according to the Associated Press. Sister Leticia Ugboaja was reportedly stopped on her way to Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, a city located just a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. She was said to be dressed in her habit at the time. Parish officials posted about t…
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