Nigerian Catholic sister detained on way to Texas Mass, released same day

U.S. immigration agents detained Sister Leticia Ugboaja on June 28 as she walked in her habit to Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, then released her hours later the same day after South Texas members of Congress pressed for her release. The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville said it still had questions about what authority was used to detain a 56-year-old Nigerian nun on her way to church.

Ugboaja, whom the diocese identified as Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja, belongs to the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy, a congregation founded in Nigeria. She lives about a block from the church and serves as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and works as a registered nurse at South Texas Health System. Before that, she spent about 10 years as a certified nursing assistant at DHR Health in Edinburg.

Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville called the detention “wildly disturbing” and said there were “many questions remaining” about how a religious sister could be handcuffed while peacefully walking to church on a Sunday morning. The diocese was still gathering information about the detention and how it unfolded.

The release came after Monica De La Cruz’s office worked with the Department of Homeland Security, and Henry Cuellar said the detention raised serious concerns about how immigration enforcement resources were being used. The League of United Latin American Citizens also called for an investigation. The Diocese of Brownsville thanked local representatives for helping secure Ugboaja’s release.