ICE releases Texas nun intercepted walking to church dressed in her habit

Diocese officials in south Texas say a nun was released after members of Congress intervened

A Roman Catholic nun was released from the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) after the agency arrested her while she walked to mass in her habit in south Texas.

Sister Leticia Ugboaja was walking to Our Lady of Sorrows church in McAllen, Texas, just a few miles from the US-Mexico border on Sunday when she was detained by ICE officers, the church said in a statement on social media.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE have not responded to a request for comment since Sunday.

Church officials’ social media post shortly after her arrest gained traction in the news and led to Congress members – including US House member Monica de la Cruz, a south Texas Republican – intervening on Ugboaja’s behalf.

The nun is part of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and volunteered as what is known as an extraordinary minister of holy communion at Our Lady of Sorrows, according to Brenda Riojas, a spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville, Texas.

Ugboaja is also a registered nurse at South Texas Health System, Riojas confirmed. She also worked previously for 10 years as a certified nursing assistant at DHR Health in Edinburg, Texas.

As of Monday, after De la Cruz and other US House members from south Texas intervened with federal officials, Ugboaja was back in her home.

“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 added in her statement.

The immigration crackdown that Donald Trump’s administration has carried out during his second presidency – including at sensitive sites such as houses of worship – has prompted faith leaders to adjust their response to church members who have become too afraid to attend.

Some have encouraged online attendance, and others have offered help doing errands such as grocery shopping for people too fearful to leave their homes.