Full Breakdown
Nun Detained by ICE While Walking to Mass Speaks Out
7/24/2026, 3:12:58 AM
Core Event: ICE Detention of Sister Leticia Ugboaja
On June 28, ICE officers stopped Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja, a 56-year-old Nigerian nun, as she walked to Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, to distribute Holy Communion. She was taken into custody and released later that day. Parish officials posted about the arrest on social media, prompting intervention by members of Congress.
Background & Context: Legal Status and Third-Country Removal Policy
Sister Ugboaja entered the United States under a protection-from-removal order issued in 2019 after an asylum judge denied her claim but found she faced a risk of torture if returned to Nigeria. She holds a valid work permit and has complied with the order’s conditions. Her attorney says ICE cited the Trump administration’s “third-country removal” policy as the basis for a possible deportation to a nation other than Nigeria.
Timeline
- June 28 – ICE detains Sister Ugboaja while she walks to Mass.
- July 23 – She holds a news conference at the church, speaking publicly for the first time since the detention.
- July 28 – Scheduled ICE check-in appointment.
Data & Statistics
- Age: 56.
- Affiliation: Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy; volunteer Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.
- Legal timeline: Asylum denied in 2019; protection-from-removal granted the same year; final removal order remains in effect.
Official Statements & Responses
- DHS and ICE did not comment on the case.
- A Diocese of Brownsville spokesperson confirmed her religious role.
- Congressional representatives from the Rio Grande Valley denounced the arrest and said they would intervene.
- Attorney Carlos M. Garcia issued a statement urging that she not be detained or monitored.
Verbatim Quote
- “There are many others in this same situation, people who have been given some form of protection under our laws, who have followed every rule asked of them, and who still live with uncertainty,” — Sister Leticia Ugboaja.
What’s Next
Sister Ugboaja is scheduled for an ICE check-in on July 28. Her attorney has asked that the appointment be deemed unnecessary and that no further detention or monitoring be imposed. The meeting will determine whether she remains in the United States under her current protection status.
