ICE Detains Sister Letty On Way to Sunday Mass in McAllen, Texas, Then Releases Her

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Sister Leticia Ugboaja, known as Sister Letty, while she was walking to Sunday Mass in McAllen, Texas, and the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville said Bishop Daniel E. Flores called the actions “wildly disturbing.”

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The Diocese said Ugboaja was released from ICE custody on Sunday evening after U.S. Rep. Monica de la Cruz and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar reported they were pleased to announce that she would be released following discussions with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mullin and Tom Homan.

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The Texas Tribune reported Ugboaja is a 56-year-old nun from Nigeria who was detained before she could arrive at Our Lady of Sorrows for Mass and was transferred to an ICE detention facility in Raymondville, about an hour drive from the church.

Brenda Riojas, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Brownsville, said Ugboaja is part of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and is a registered nurse at South Texas Health System, and she previously worked for 10 years as a certified nursing assistant at DHR Health in Edinburg, Texas.

The Diocese of Brownsville said it was grateful for a rapid outpouring of support for Sister Letty and for the quick response from local representatives, while Bishop Flores said, “There are many questions remaining about the circumstances surrounding Sister Letty’s arrest and detention.”

In a statement carried by NewsNation, Flores added 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.”

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The Texas Tribune reported that U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said they were communicating directly with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin about the situation, and it quoted De La Cruz saying, “A Catholic nun on her way to church is not a threat to our community.”

The Texas Tribune also reported that Ugboaja declined to be interviewed on the advice of counsel and that she called for help while in custody, saying she was being transferred to an ICE detention facility in Raymondville and needed medication that federal agents didn’t allow her to get.

Even after Ugboaja’s release, the Texas Tribune reported that LULAC called for an investigation into the arrest and said the Department of Homeland Security had not responded to multiple questions sent Sunday and Tuesday by the outlet.

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The Texas Tribune quoted Bishop Flores saying the enforcement protocols that allowed Ugboaja to be detained and handcuffed while walking to church “need to be reformed,” and it described Ugboaja as “very distraught and scared” and not understanding what was happening.

Texas Public Radio reported that LULAC said, “Her release does not erase the fact that she should have never been detained in the first place,” while also noting that South Texas lawmakers Monica De La Cruz and Henry Cuellar said on social media that Sister Letty was released Sunday afternoon after the lawmakers worked with Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin to secure her release.

The Texas Tribune further reported that Sister Norma Pimentel, who manages the diocese’s charitable arm, said until recently there had not been concerns around the status of international nuns at the diocese, but Ugboaja’s detention changed that for her and she said she would ask all the sisters to carry documents and something with them at all times.