Sister Leticia Ugboaja, a 56-year-old nun, held a news conference at a church in McAllen, Texas, to discuss her detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on June 28. She described the experience of being approached by two armed agents while en route to Sunday Mass, saying she was uncertain about what was occurring at the time.
According to her attorney, Carlos M. Garcia, Ugboaja had been granted protection from removal to her native Nigeria following a 2019 immigration proceeding, based on concerns she would face torture if returned. Garcia stated that Ugboaja, who works as a nurse, had complied with all legal requirements and maintained work authorization in the United States. When taken into custody, Ugboaja was not provided clear explanation for her detention, though the government indicated plans to remove her to a third country under the Trump administration’s third-country removal policy.
The detention lasted several hours before Ugboaja’s release, which came after parish officials publicized her case on social media and members of Congress intervened. Ugboaja expressed gratitude for those who assisted her but stated she could not remain silent about her experience. She appealed for others facing similar circumstances to be granted the opportunity to present their cases before being taken into custody. Ugboaja also noted that she was prevented from attending Mass and receiving Holy Communion during her detention, which she described as deeply distressing given her role as a nun.
Ugboaja, a member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and a volunteer minister at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, is scheduled for a check-in appointment with ICE. The Trump administration’s third-country removal policy has faced criticism from legal advocates and human rights organizations and has been subject to legal challenges. The Department of Homeland Security has stated the policy permits asylum seekers to pursue protection in partner countries and is intended to address court backlogs. Neither DHS nor ICE provided comment on Ugboaja’s case.
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