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Texas nun released after ICE arrest in Texas sparked national outrage
USA Today • • nation
Key Points:
- Sister Leticia "Letty" Ugboaja, a Catholic nun and nurse in South Texas, was detained by ICE officers on June 28 while walking to Sunday Mass but was released the same evening following intervention by members of Congress.
- The Diocese of Brownsville described Ugboaja as a well-known source of goodness and hope, highlighting her volunteer work at Our Lady of Sorrows Church and her nursing career in the local community.
- Texas congressional representatives from both parties, including Reps. Monica de la Cruz, Henry Cuellar, Vicente Gonzalez, and Joaquin Castro, criticized the detention and worked with the Department of Homeland Security to secure her release.
- Church leaders and lawmakers expressed concern about the enforcement protocols that allowed a peaceful religious figure to be detained, calling for reforms and investigations into the circumstances of her arrest.
- Advocacy groups like LULAC have launched petitions demanding a thorough investigation, emphasizing broader worries about immigration enforcement practices and the treatment of individuals who pose no public safety threat.
