Thursday, July 2, 2026 - A nun arrested by ICE has been released from custody one day after Congress members intervened on her behalf.
Reverend Sister Leticia Ugboaja was wearing her habit, walking to
Sunday Mass near the U.S–Mexico border when she was detained in south
Texas.
Sister Leticia Ugboaja was walking to Our Lady of Sorrows church in
McAllen, Texas, just a few miles from the US-Mexico border, when she was
detained by ICE officers, the church said in a statement on social
media.
Social media posts made by church officials shortly after her arrest
gained traction in the news and led to Congress members – including US House
member Monica De La Cruz, a south Texas Republican – intervening on
Ugboaja’s behalf.
The nun is a member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and
volunteered as what is known as an extraordinary minister of holy communion at
Our Lady of Sorrows, according to Brenda Riojas, a spokesperson for the
Catholic Diocese of Brownsville, Texas.
Ugboaja is also a registered nurse at South Texas Health System, Riojas
confirmed.
She also worked previously for 10 years as a certified nursing assistant
at DHR Health in Edinburg, Texas.
On Monday, June 29, after De la Cruz and other US House members from south
Texas intervened with federal officials, Ugboaja was released to go back to her
home.
A video of her release shows her crying as she was let out of the fenced
ICE facility.
A woman hugged her before she got into a car and was driven away.
“We are grateful for the quick response of local representatives who
reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to get her released from
custody,” Riojas added in her statement.
The immigration crackdown that Donald Trump’s administration has
carried out during his second presidency – including at sensitive sites such as
houses of worship – has prompted faith leaders to adjust their response to
church members who have become too afraid to attend.
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