MCALLEN, TEXAS — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Sister Leticia Ugboaja on June 28, 2026, while she was walking to Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas. She was released from custody several hours later the same day.

Two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stopped Sister Leticia Ugboaja as she approached the church. She was wearing her habit when she was detained. Sister Leticia Ugboaja requested permission from ICE officers to attend Mass and receive Holy Communion but was denied.

Parish officials posted about the arrest on social media following the incident. Members of Congress intervened on her behalf to secure her release.

Sister Leticia Ugboaja's attorney, Carlos Garcia, stated that ICE officers provided little explanation for her detention but indicated the U.S. planned to remove her to a third country. Carlos Garcia said, "We are asking that she not be detained and that no ankle monitor be placed on a person who has broken no rule, posed no danger, and given this country a decade of nursing and a lifetime of ministry." The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not respond to requests for comment on her case.

Sister Leticia Ugboaja is a 56-year-old nun from Nigeria. She is a member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy. She works as a registered nurse at South Texas Health System.

She previously worked for 10 years as a certified nursing assistant in Edinburg, Texas. She also volunteers as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas.

The legal situation involves a complex immigration history. In 2019, an immigration judge denied her application for asylum. However, in 2019, an immigration judge granted her protection from removal to Nigeria under the Convention Against Torture because she was likely to face torture there.

She is technically under a final order of removal because her asylum claim was denied. Despite this status, she has a valid work permit and has complied with all conditions of her protection order. She has a check-in appointment with ICE scheduled for July 28, 2026.

She held a news conference at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, to speak publicly about her detention. During the event, she addressed the broader implications of her case. She said, "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 continued by stating, "I believe every person in this situation, like me, deserves to be heard, deserves to be listened to, deserves to be given attention and opportunity." She also shared the personal impact of the detention.

She said, "For me, a nun, not to go to Mass on Sunday, not to receive Communion, it was very, very heartbreaking for me." Lawyers and human rights groups have criticized the Trump administration's third-country removal policy. The policy has faced legal challenges.

She was detained by ICE in McAllen, Texas, for approximately 9 hours on June 28, 2026, before being released after intervention from U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar. This case shows enforcement actions against individuals with established legal protections. In 2019, an immigration judge denied her asylum application but granted her protection from removal under the Convention Against Torture due to concerns about potential torture in Nigeria.

Prior to her 2026 detention, she had worked as a certified nursing assistant for 10 years at DHR Health in Edinburg, Texas, and as a registered nurse at South Texas Health System. In 2024, the National Immigration Forum reported that 42% of ICE detentions involved individuals with legal status or pending immigration cases, raising concerns about enforcement practices. In 2025, the American Immigration Council found that 12% of ICE removals were directed at individuals who had been granted relief from removal, such as under the Convention Against Torture.