ICE agents detained Sister Leticia Ugboaja as she walked to attend mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas; she was released the same day.
The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville said Sister Ugboaja is a Nigerian national, a registered nurse at South Texas Health System, had been a certified nursing assistant at a health center in Edinburg for 10 years, is part of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy congregation and volunteers as a minister at Our Lady of Sorrows Church.
Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Republican, posted on Facebook that her office was working with the Department of Homeland Security to "resolve Sister Letty's detainment as quickly as possible," and wrote, "As I have repeatedly said, our immigration enforcement should target violent criminals. A Catholic nun on her way to church is not a threat to our community."
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to multiple requests for comment or requests for additional information about why she was detained.
Rep. Henry Cuellar said in a post on X that reports about the nun's arrest "raise serious concerns about how immigration enforcement resources are being used."
In a press release, the diocese thanked local representatives who reached out to DHS on Sister Ugboaja's behalf.
Bishop Daniel E. Flores condemned the arrest, saying, "Sister Letty is a well-known source of goodness and hope in our community, and I am grateful she has been released. There are many questions remaining about the circumstances surrounding Sister Letty's arrest and detention," and added, "For now, it is clear 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."