Questions about why ICE arrested a nun continue to grow after her release from custody.
The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville said that on Sunday, Sister Leticia Ugboaja was detained by agents as she was walking to attend mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas.
Sister Ugboaja, a Nigerian national, is a registered nurse at South Texas Health System and was a certified nursing assistant at health center in Edinburg, Texas, for 10 years, the Diocese said in a press release. She’s part of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy congregation and volunteers as a minister at Our Lady of Sorrows Church.
Sister Ugboaja was released the same day she was detained, according to Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Republican, who initially posted on Facebook that her office was working with DHS to “resolve Sister Letty’s detainment as quickly as possible.”
In a statement, the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville said: “At this time, we are continuing to gather information regarding the circumstances that led to Sister Leticia’s detainment and the manner in which she was detained.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to multiple requests for comment or requests for additional information about why she was detained.
In her social media post, De La Cruz said: “As I have repeatedly said, our immigration enforcement should target violent criminals. A Catholic nun on her way to church is not a threat to our community,” she said on Facebook.
The sun beams over the Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, Monday, June 29, 2026.
Valerie Gonzalez/AP Photo/Valerie Gonzalez
Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar said in a post on X that reports about the nun’s arrest “raise serious concerns about how immigration enforcement resources are being used.”
In the press release, the diocese thanked local representatives who reached out to DHS on Sister Ugboaja’s behalf.
Bishop Daniel E. Flores condemned the arrest.
“Sister Letty is a well-known source of goodness and hope in our community, and I am grateful she has been released. There are many questions remaining about the circumstances surrounding Sister Letty’s arrest and detention,” Bishop Flores said in a statement.
“For now, it is clear that Homeland Security enforcement protocols that make it possible for a religious sister, or anyone, to be detained and handcuffed while peacefully walking to Church on a Sunday morning are wildly disturbing and need to be reformed,” he added.