Nun’s Plea for Justice After Unexpected Immigration Detention

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Sister Leticia Ugboaja, a nun recently detained by immigration officers, recounted the distressing experience at a news conference. Walking to Sunday Mass, she was approached by armed men, causing immediate unease. Her thoughts were on the day’s Bible readings, carrying only a rosary and cellphone. ‘In that moment, I did not understand what was going on,’ Ugboaja stated at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, addressing the public after her arrest on June 28.

According to Ugboaja’s attorney, she had long been granted protection from deportation to Nigeria under the threat of torture. Despite this, the 56-year-old nun was detained close to the U.S.-Mexico border but released within hours. Public and congressional support emerged following posts by parish officials on social media. With mass deportations a central promise of Trump’s administration, Ugboaja’s case highlights aggressive tactics under scrutiny.

Expressing her desire to prevent similar situations, Ugboaja urged, ‘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.’ Although grateful for the support received, Ugboaja believes in speaking out against such injustices.

Her attorney, Carlos M. Garcia, detailed her immigration status, noting her 2019 denial for asylum yet receiving protection from removal due to torture threats in Nigeria. As a nurse, Ugboaja met all compliance requirements, including permission to work in the U.S. Garcia noted the lack of clarity provided upon her detention and the U.S. intention to deport her to a third country. Criticism surrounds the Trump administration’s third-country removal policy, with legal challenges and opposition from human rights groups.

The Department of Homeland Security and ICE have not commented on Ugboaja’s case despite inquiries. Ugboaja, affiliated with the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy, volunteers at Our Lady of Sorrows Church and works as a nurse. On the day of her detention, she pleaded unsuccessfully with officers to attend Mass. ‘For me, a nun, not to go to Mass on Sunday, not to receive Communion, it was very, very heartbreaking,’ Ugboaja lamented.

___Stengle reported from Dallas.