Nun speaks out for first time about being detained by ICE while walking to Mass in Texas
The nun was released after several hours and has a scheduled ICE check-in next week, her lawyer said.
- On Thursday, Sister Leticia Ugboaja, a 56-year-old nun detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month, spoke at a news conference in McAllen, Texas, advocating for others in uncertain immigration situations.
- After a 2019 immigration judge ruling determined she faced likely torture if returned to Nigeria, Ugboaja, a registered nurse with the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy, received legal protection from removal.
- Officers detained Ugboaja on June 28 while she walked to Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, but Congressional intervention helped secure her release after officials planned to remove her to a third country.
- With a mandatory check-in with ICE scheduled for next week, her attorney, Carlos Garcia, noted she has complied with all requirements and maintains legal work authorization in the United States.
- Faith leaders note that President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, including at sensitive sites like churches, has forced congregants to adjust routines due to fear of attending services.
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62 Articles
Our Sunday Visitor
Northwest CatholicThose targeted by immigration enforcement need ‘chance to be heard,’ says nun detained by ICE
Sister Leticia said when she asked the ICE agents, "can I go to Mass; can I just attend Mass, can I receive Communion?', the answer was 'no.'"
Catholic Review
The Catholic SunThose targeted by immigration enforcement need 'chance to be heard,' says nun detained by ICE
(OSV News) — Give those targeted in immigration enforcement operations “the chance to be heard,” said a religious sister detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for several hours June 28, amid an intended third-country deportation effort. On July 23, Sister Leticia Ugboaja delivered a prepared statement during a press conference hosted by Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, located at the U.S.-Mexico border. Almost …
Nun detained by ICE on her way to Mass speaks out for first time: 'For me, a nun, not to go to Mass...it was very, very heartbreaking'
Officers gave little explanation for detaining Sister Leticia Ugboaja despite her years of compliance with immigration requirements
Texas Nun Speaks Out After ICE Detention on Walk to Mass
A Catholic nun detained by immigration officers while walking to Sunday Mass spoke publicly Thursday for the first time, questioning why she was taken into custody despite having court-ordered protection from removal to her native Nigeria. The post Texas Nun Speaks Out After ICE Detention on Walk to Mass appeared first on Los Angeles Sentinel.
Catholic World Report
ewtnnews.comFacing deportation, Nigerian nun in south Texas speaks out
“I am not the only one,” Sister Leticia Ugboaja said of others who are also “languishing” in the same situation in which she finds herself but who do not have the attention of the media on them. [...]
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