Texas Nun Detained by ICE on Her Way to Mass Speaks Out: 'It Was Very, Very Heartbreaking'
Key Takeaways
- •Sister Leticia Ugboaja was arrested by ICE on June 28 while walking to Sunday Mass in McAllen, Texas, and was released several hours later following intervention by members of Congress.
- •A 2019 immigration ruling granted Ugboaja protection from removal to Nigeria, where she was deemed likely to face torture, but did not provide a path to permanent residency.
- •Ugboaja's attorney stated that the U.S. government intended to remove her to a third country, though ICE provided little explanation for her detention.
- •Ugboaja's case has drawn national scrutiny because she held active legal protection against removal and was apprehended outside a workplace or scheduled check-in setting.
- •Ugboaja has an upcoming ICE check-in appointment on Tuesday and has urged that individuals be afforded a hearing before being taken into custody.
A nun taken into immigration custody last month in Texas publicly recounted her ordeal for the first time on Thursday, describing the moment two armed men approached her as she walked to Sunday Mass in her habit, rosary and cellphone in hand, her mind on the day's Bible readings.
"Honestly, in that moment, I did not understand what was going on, what was happening to me," Sister Leticia Ugboaja said during a news conference held at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen. The event marked her first public remarks since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested her on June 28.
Ugboaja, 56, was released several hours after being detained near the U.S.-Mexico border while walking to church. Her case gained widespread attention after parish officials posted about it on social media, and members of Congress ultimately intervened on her behalf.
Her attorney, Carlos M. Garcia, sat beside her at the news conference and detailed her immigration history. He explained that in 2019, an immigration judge denied Ugboaja's application for asylum but granted her protection from removal to her native Nigeria, where she was deemed likely to face torture. That form of relief, known as withholding of removal, differs from asylum in key ways: while it bars deportation to the country where persecution is feared, it does not provide a path to lawful permanent residence or citizenship, and recipients are typically required to check in regularly with immigration authorities. Garcia emphasized that Ugboaja, who is a nurse, has complied with every requirement placed upon her and held valid permission to work in the United States.
When ICE took Ugboaja into custody in June, she received little explanation as to why, according to her attorney. He further revealed that the U.S. government had planned to remove her to a third country. The Trump administration's third-country removal policy has drawn criticism from lawyers and human rights organizations and has faced multiple legal challenges. The Department of Homeland Security has defended the agreements, stating that they allow individuals seeking asylum in the U.S. to pursue protection in another country and help address large backlogs in immigration courts.
DHS and ICE did not respond to requests for comment on Ugboaja's case on Thursday, nor did they respond to earlier inquiries following her detention in June.
President Donald Trump made mass deportations a central pledge of his second administration, and his immigration crackdown has led to unusually aggressive tactics that have come under significant scrutiny. Ugboaja's case has drawn particular attention because she held an active legal protection against removal and was apprehended not at a workplace or during a scheduled check-in but while walking to worship in her religious habit.
Ugboaja, who has a scheduled check-in appointment with ICE on Tuesday, said she chose to speak out to help others and urged that people be given the opportunity to be heard before being taken into custody.
"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," she said.
While expressing gratitude to those who supported her, Ugboaja stressed that gratitude "does not mean I can stay quiet about what happened to me, or about what is still happening to others."
Ugboaja is a member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and served as a volunteer Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, according to a spokesperson for the Diocese of Brownsville. She is also a registered nurse at South Texas Health System and previously spent ten years as a certified nursing assistant in Edinburg.
Recounting the day of her arrest, Ugboaja said she begged the officers to allow her to attend Mass and receive Holy Communion but was denied.
"For me, a nun, not to go to Mass on Sunday, not to receive Communion, it was very, very heartbreaking for me," she said.
Stengle reported from Dallas.