Overview
- Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja was stopped by ICE while walking to Our Lady of Sorrows Church and was detained on June 28 before being released hours later after members of Texas’s congressional delegation pressed DHS.
- Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz and Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez each contacted DHS officials, including Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Tom Homan, and federal authorities ordered Ugboaja's prompt release.
- The Diocese of Brownsville says Ugboaja, a Nigerian-born member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy who works as a registered nurse, was distraught in custody and was reportedly denied needed medication during transfer to the El Valle/Raymondville facility.
- DHS and ICE have not publicly explained why she was detained, prompting calls from the diocese, LULAC and other advocacy groups for a formal investigation and changes to enforcement protocols at sensitive community sites such as churches.
- Local leaders and national coverage say the case has intensified border-region fears that broader enforcement priorities can sweep up visible community figures and could lead congregations to alter worship and outreach practices.