A Nigerian nun was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on 28 June 2026 while walking to Sunday mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, near the U.S.-Mexico border. Sister Leticia Ugboaja, a registered nurse at South Texas Health System and member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy, was held for several hours before her release following intervention by members of Congress after parish officials publicised the case on social media.
Ugboaja has held protection from removal to Nigeria since 2019 because she would likely face torture there, though an immigration judge denied her asylum that year. Her attorney Carlos Garcia stated that ICE planned to deport her to a third country, a practice that has drawn legal challenges and criticism from human rights groups. Ugboaja, who holds a valid work permit, is scheduled for an ICE check-in appointment on 28 July 2026.