A nun arrested by ICE has been released from custody one day after Congress members intervened on her behalf.
Reverend Sister Leticia Ugboaja was wearing her habit, walking to Sunday Mass near the U.S–Mexico border when she was detained in south Texas.
Sister Leticia Ugboaja was walking to Our Lady of Sorrows church in McAllen, Texas, just a few miles from the US-Mexico border, when she was detained by ICE officers, the church said in a statement on social media.
Social media posts made by church officials shortly after her arrest gained traction in the news and led to Congress members – including US House member Monica De La Cruz, a south Texas Republican – intervening on Ugboaja’s behalf.
The nun is a member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and volunteered as what is known as an extraordinary minister of holy communion at Our Lady of Sorrows, according to Brenda Riojas, a spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville, Texas.
Ugboaja is also a registered nurse at South Texas Health System, Riojas confirmed.
She also worked previously for 10 years as a certified nursing assistant at DHR Health in Edinburg, Texas.
On Monday, June 29, after De la Cruz and other US House members from south Texas intervened with federal officials, Ugboaja was released to go back to her home.
A video of her release shows her crying as she was let out of the fenced ICE facility.
A woman hugged her before she got into a car and was driven away.
“We are grateful for the quick response of local representatives who reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to get her released from custody,” Riojas added in her statement.
The immigration crackdown that Donald Trump’s administration has carried out during his second presidency – including at sensitive sites such as houses of worship – has prompted faith leaders to adjust their response to church members who have become too afraid to attend.
Some have encouraged online attendance, and others have offered help doing errands such as grocery shopping for people too fearful to leave their homes.
See video of the nun’s release below.
