ICE detained and handcuffed Sister Leticia Ugboaja, a Catholic nun, walking to Sunday Mass in McAllen, Texas

On June 29, 2026, ICE agents intercepted Sister Leticia "Letty" Ugboaja as she walked from her home to Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas — a distance of about one block. Ugboaja, a 56-year-old Nigerian national and member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy who had worked as a registered nurse in South Texas for approximately a decade, was visibly dressed in her religious habit. Agents handcuffed her and transported her to the El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, roughly an hour away. While in custody, she called for assistance and said she needed medication; ICE did not allow her to retrieve it. "She was very distraught and scared, and didn't understand what was happening," said Sister Norma Pimentel, who manages the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville's charitable arm.

The Diocese of Brownsville and civil rights groups mobilized immediately. Bishop Daniel E. Flores stated: "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." LULAC, the country's largest Latino civil rights organization, called for an investigation. South Texas members of Congress — Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Edinburg) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) — contacted DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin directly. Rep. De La Cruz, who had previously supported aggressive immigration enforcement, said, "A Catholic nun on her way to church is not a threat to our community." The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to press questions about the legal basis for the detention.

Updates

Sister Ugboaja was released from El Valle Detention Facility after Reps. De La Cruz and Cuellar intervened directly with DHS Secretary Mullin. She walked out of the facility in tears. The legal basis for the detention was never provided publicly by ICE or DHS. Sources: NBC News; Texas Public Radio.