Catholic Charities leader says Texas nun has felt 'overwhelmed with fear' after detention by ICE
Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, expressed concern over the brief ICE detention of Nigerian nun Leticia Ugboaja while she was walking to Sunday Mass in south Texas. Ugboaja, a long‑time member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and nurse in the Diocese of Brownsville, had previously been granted protection from removal to Nigeria but remains at risk of third‑country removal. Pimentel said the detention left Ugboaja emotionally scarred, causing her ongoing fear and affecting her ability to serve the immigrant community. The incident has reignited calls for meaningful immigration reform and highlighted the vulnerability of immigrant Catholics in the U.S.
2 months ago
The detention of Sister Leticia Ugboaja, a Nigerian nun who has served immigrant families in South Texas for nearly two decades, has left her “overwhelmed with fear” and sparked renewed calls from Catholic leaders for humane immigration reform and clearer legal pathways for migrants 1.
Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja belongs to the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and works as a registered nurse in the Diocese of Brownsville. She has ministered in schools, parishes, and hospitals throughout the Rio Grande Valley for almost 20 years 2. In 2019 a federal judge denied her asylum claim but granted protection from removal under the United Nations Convention Against Torture, recognizing the risk of torture if she were returned to Nigeria 1. Her attorney, Carlos Garcia, notes that she is authorized to work in the United States and has complied with all immigration requirements, though she remains vulnerable to third‑country removal 2.
In June 2026, while walking to Sunday Mass, Sister Ugboaja was briefly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials near Harlingen, Texas. She was released after intervention by local officials and the support of Catholic Charities’ executive director, Sister Norma Pimentel 1. Pimentel, a longtime migrant‑rights advocate, learned that the nun was “very frightened” and crying during the encounter and immediately contacted an ICE officer she knew to ensure the sister could have a companion present 2.
Although Sister Ugboaja has returned to her duties and attends daily Mass, the experience continues to affect her mental health. Pimentel observed that the nun became “overwhelmed with fear” even on the day of a press conference following the incident 1. The detention has left lasting emotional scars and heightened anxiety among immigrant Catholics in the region 2.
During a press conference, Sister Ugboaja recounted being denied the ability to attend Mass or receive Holy Communion while in ICE custody, describing the denial as “heartbreaking” 1. Local priests in the Diocese of Brownsville report growing fear among immigrant families, many of whom now hesitate to go to church or school because of visible immigration enforcement 2.
Pimentel emphasized that border security and human dignity must “go hand in hand,” urging the government to create safe, legal procedures for migrants who contribute positively to their communities 1. She advocated for expanded legal avenues for asylum seekers who do not pose a public‑safety threat, arguing that such pathways are essential to uphold the Church’s teaching on the dignity of every person 2.
The incident has prompted Catholic Charities and diocesan leaders to call for meaningful immigration reform and greater protection for religious workers and immigrant families. Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville echoed the sentiment, urging the nation to balance respect for law with compassion for those at risk 1. The episode underscores ongoing tensions between immigration enforcement and the Catholic Church’s pastoral mission in the United States.*
Investigate Catholic Church’s stance on immigrant clergy protection
The Catholic Church does not treat “immigrant clergy protection” as a single standalone topic; instead, it addresses it indirectly through (1) the Church’s general moral and social teaching on the protection of migrants and refugees, (2) concrete pastoral norms for spiritual care of immigrants (including priests), and (3) historical canonical safeguards for bishops (a category of clergy) who suffer violence and are unjustly expelled.
Pope John Paul II teaches that the Church must be “a vigilant advocate,” defending against unjust restrictions on migrants’ natural right to move freely, and calling attention to the rights of migrants and their families, with respect for their human dignity “even in cases of non-legal immigration.”
In a 2023 Moment of Prayer for migrants and refugees, Pope Francis frames what Christians must do as welcoming, protecting, promoting, and integrating, with special concern for the most vulnerable.
In the 2025 letter to the bishops of the United States, Pope Francis recognizes and encourages efforts that promote fundamental human rights and specifically the protection and defense of those treated as “less valuable, less important or less human.”
He also explicitly exhorts the faithful “not to give in to narratives that discriminate” against migrants and to “avoid walls of ignominy,” grounding the Church’s response in charity and clarity.
Pope Francis asks Our Lady of Guadalupe to “protect individuals and families who live in fear or pain due to migration and/or deportation.”
Relevance to immigrant clergy: while these passages are not restricted to clergy, they establish the moral principle that migrants—who may include priests and other ministers—must not be treated as less human, and they must receive protection in situations of fear and vulnerability.
John Paul II states that the Church must continue improving “services of welcome” and “pastoral attention for immigrants and refugees,” ensuring respect for dignity and freedom and promoting integration.
He further notes that specific pastoral care is needed for the integration of Catholic immigrants in a way that respects their culture and religious traditions.
A particularly direct point for “immigrant clergy protection” is that John Paul II says contacts should be encouraged between Churches in immigrants’ native countries and those to which they migrated, so that assistance can include “the presence among immigrants of priests, consecrated men and women, and properly trained pastoral workers from their own countries.”
This implies the Church’s stance is not only humanitarian (protecting people) but also institutional: it seeks to ensure that immigrant communities—often including their clergy—have access to pastoral support that fits their language, culture, and religious life.
A clear canonical “protection” principle appears in the Council of Sardica (A.D. 344), Canon 17, which decrees that if a bishop suffers violence and is “unjustly cast out” (including due to confession/defense of Catholic truth), and then flees danger to another city, he should not be forbidden to stay there until he can return or his wrong is redressed.
The canon adds that it would be “harsh” and “most oppressive” not to harbor someone suffering unjust expulsion, and that “great cordiality and abundant consideration” should be shown him.
Relevance: although Sardica addresses bishops specifically and in the context of persecution/expulsion, it shows the Church has historically treated unjust expulsion of a cleric as requiring ecclesial protection and hospitality in another place—rather than abandonment.
Pope Pius XII’s apostolic constitution Exsul Familia contains norms “for the spiritual care of emigrants,” including rules specifically for Latin-rite priests when they emigrate (e.g., the need to observe particular congregational oversight norms and rights).
While this does not read like a modern “protection from detention” policy, it does show the Church’s concern that clergy who emigrate remain properly cared for and correctly situated within ecclesiastical governance, protecting their ability to serve and be received with due order.
Exsul Familia also states that the local Ordinary should “strenuously” commit the spiritual care of “spirituale alienigenarum seu immigratorum” to priests—secular or regular—who share the same language or nation, i.e., “missionaries” for the emigrants, under the appropriate mandate.
Relevance: “protection” in Church terms often includes ensuring access to the sacraments, pastoral care, and competent ecclesiastical ministry—especially across language and cultural divides.
No provided document here gives a modern, single, explicit policy titled “immigrant clergy protection” (e.g., detention/immigration enforcement procedures). But taken together, these sources show the Church’s stance: immigrant clergy and migrant ministers should be treated within the Church’s care for migrants’ dignity, with pastoral structures that enable service, and with canonical hospitality/safeguards against unjust expulsion and abandonment.