{"id":32372,"date":"2026-07-02T09:50:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T13:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=32372"},"modified":"2026-07-02T09:50:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T13:50:33","slug":"nun-released-after-ice-detention-while-walking-to-sunday-mass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/07\/nun-released-after-ice-detention-while-walking-to-sunday-mass","title":{"rendered":"Nun Released After ICE Detention While Walking to Sunday Mass"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Left: Public Domain | Right: Our Lady of Sorrows Church \/ Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Catholic nun in South Texas is back home after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while walking to Sunday Mass, an incident that sparked prayers from her parish, intervention from members of Congress, and renewed debate over immigration enforcement near places of worship.<\/p>\n

Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen announced<\/a> on June 28th<\/sup> that Sister Leticia Ugboaja, known as Sister Letty, had been taken into custody by ICE officers while on her way to attend Mass.<\/p>\n

“We ask our parish family to please keep this religious sister, Letty, in your prayers. Reports indicate that ICE detained her while on her way to Sunday Mass,” the church wrote on social media. “We pray for her safety, peace, and strength during this difficult time, and we hope for a swift and just resolution that allows her to be released soon.”<\/p>\n

Just hours later, the parish shared encouraging news<\/a> that Sister Letty had been released after members of Texas’ congressional delegation contacted federal officials on her behalf.<\/p>\n

Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, said her office worked with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to help resolve the situation.<\/p>\n

“My office worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security, and I’m grateful they acted to resolve this quickly,” De La Cruz said. “Thank you to everyone who kept her in their prayers. God is good.”<\/p>\n

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, also said he personally communicated with DHS officials, including Border Czar Tom Homan, to secure the nun’s release.<\/p>\n

“The order has been given for her to be released today instead of tomorrow, and she’ll be home tonight,” Cuellar wrote on social media<\/a>. “My office stayed engaged with the Department of Homeland Security throughout this process, and I appreciate everyone who helped make this possible.”<\/p>\n

Brenda Riojas, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Brownsville, identified Sister Letty as a member of the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Mercy, a Catholic religious order that takes vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. She also serves as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion at Our Lady of Sorrows Church.<\/p>\n

“We are grateful for the quick response of local representatives who reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to get her released from custody,” Riojas said.<\/p>\n

Federal officials have not publicly explained why Sister Letty was detained. When asked about the incident, ICE referred questions to DHS, which had not issued a response at the time of reporting.<\/p>\n

The incident comes as immigration enforcement policies continue to draw criticism from some religious leaders and legal advocates. Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Dennis Saylor IV issued a preliminary injunction preventing immigration enforcement raids at certain churches, warning that government agents conducting enforcement actions during worship services or while people are entering churches poses a serious threat to religious liberty.<\/p>\n

“The prospect that a street-level law-enforcement agent … could conduct a raid during a church service, or lie in wait to interrogate or seize congregants as they seek to enter a church, is profoundly troubling,” Saylor wrote.<\/p>\n

The ruling followed a lawsuit brought by a coalition of Christian organizations challenging the Trump administration’s decision to rescind a long-standing policy limiting immigration enforcement at so-called “sensitive locations,” including houses of worship.<\/p>\n

While questions remain about the circumstances surrounding Sister Letty’s detention, her release brought relief to her church community, which had united in prayer throughout the day. For many believers, the incident has renewed conversations about balancing immigration enforcement with the protection of religious freedom and the ability to worship without fear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Catholic nun in South Texas is back home after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while walking to Sunday Mass, an incident that sparked prayers from her parish, intervention from members of Congress, and renewed debate over immigration enforcement near places of worship. Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen announced…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":32375,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nNun Released After ICE Detention While Walking to Sunday Mass<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Catholic nun detained by ICE while walking to Sunday Mass was released after congressional intervention and prayers from her parish.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/07\/nun-released-after-ice-detention-while-walking-to-sunday-mass\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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