‘Wildly Disturbing’: Texas Bishop Demands Answers After ICE Detains Nun Walking to Sunday Mass

McALLEN, Texas — A Catholic nun who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as she walked to church in her religious habit has been released following intervention by South Texas lawmakers—but the incident has sparked outrage from church leaders who are demanding answers. Sister Leticia Ugboaja, a Nigerian-born nun who has served the Rio Grande Valley for nearly a decade, was arrested Sunday morning just steps from Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, just a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border . She was reportedly on her way to celebrate Mass when federal agents stopped her. Ugboaja, a member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy, also serves as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion at the church and works as a registered nurse at South Texas Health System . According to Sister Norma Pimentel, who manages the diocese’s charitable arm, Ugboaja was “very distraught and scared, and didn’t understand what was happening” while in custody, and agents reportedly prevented her from accessing needed medication .

News of the arrest spread rapidly after parish officials shared details on social media, prompting U.S. Rep. Monica de la Cruz (R-Texas) and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) to intervene with the Department of Homeland Security . By Sunday evening, Ugboaja had been released. “I’m pleased to share that Sister Letty is on her way home,” Cuellar posted on X . Bishop Daniel E. Flores of the Diocese of Brownsville called the incident “wildly disturbing” and demanded reform of enforcement protocols that allow “a religious sister, or anyone, to be detained and handcuffed while peacefully walking to Church on a Sunday morning” . The arrest has also heightened fears among faith leaders in border communities, where increased immigration enforcement has left some worshippers reluctant to attend services in person . De la Cruz, who helped secure Ugboaja’s release, said, “Our immigration enforcement should target violent criminals. A Catholic nun on her way to church is not a threat to our community”