{"id":357714,"date":"2026-07-01T20:23:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/357714\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T20:23:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:23:09","slug":"ice-arrest-of-nun-in-southern-texas-spurs-bipartisan-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/357714\/","title":{"rendered":"ICE arrest of nun in southern Texas spurs bipartisan concern"},"content":{"rendered":"

The arrest of a Catholic nun from Nigeria by federal immigration officers in southern Texas on Sunday made for an unlikely alliance on Capitol Hill as lawmakers demanded her release and raised a bipartisan question: Why aren\u2019t border officials focused on real threats to public safety?<\/p>\n

Sister Leticia \u201cLetty\u201d Ugboaja, 56, was walking the block between her home and the Catholic Church where she attends Sunday Mass in McAllen, Texas, when she was stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The agents arrested her, taking her rosary, and brought her to a nearby detention facility.<\/p>\n

As reports of Ugboaja\u2019s arrest spread, demands for her release from members of southern Texas\u2019 congressional delegation flooded social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy team and I are working with DHS to gather details regarding the detainment of Sister Letty Ugboaja of Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy,\u201d Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Republican who is running to defend the Texas border district she won in 2022, wrote in a post on X. \u201cI have elevated this to the highest levels and will provide additional information as it becomes available.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, who represent swaths of the Texas southern border, called for Ugboaja\u2019s release and condemned her arrest. Ugboaja was released Sunday evening. Footage aired by Telemundo showed the nun walking out of the El Valle detention facility in Raymondville into the arms of Sister Norma Pimentel, a member of the Diocese of Brownsville, which oversees Ugboaja\u2019s religious order.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter communicating with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Tom Homan, I\u2019m pleased to share that Sister Letty is on her way home,\u201d Cuellar wrote in a post on X Sunday afternoon. \u201cThe order has been given for her to be released today instead of tomorrow, and she\u2019ll be home tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

The swift reaction from federal lawmakers to Ugboaja\u2019s arrest mirrored a playbook that\u2019s become all too familiar for Texas\u2019 border delegation since President Donald Trump returned to office last year. <\/p>\n

De La Cruz, Cuellar, Gonzalez and Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, have all intervened in other controversial ICE arrests. The arrest of an 18-year-old high school mariachi champion in McAllen following an immigration check-in with his family made waves among the lawmakers advocating for his release. De La Cruz announced she had secured the release of the teenager, Antonio G\u00e1mez-Cu\u00e9llar, in March.<\/p>\n

Referring to Ugboaja\u2019s arrest, De La Cruz wrote on Facebook: \u201cAs 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tRecommended<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSydney Carruth<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSydney Carruth is a breaking news reporter covering national politics and policy for MS NOW. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at SydneyCarruth.46 or follow her work on X and Bluesky.\t\t<\/p>\n

\"MS<\/p>\n

\u00a9\u00a02026 Versant Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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