You have probably heard what happened to her in late June.
The South Texas nun who was detained by immigration officers last month spoke publicly for the first time since the incident and as her future in the country remains in limbo.
Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja, a 56-year-old nun from Nigeria, was walking the short distance from her home to Our Lady of Sorrows to distribute the Holy Communion at Mass when she was stopped by two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on June 28.
“Even when I told them, ‘Can I go to Mass; can I just attend Mass; can I receive communion,’ the answer was ‘No,’” Ugboaja said.
ICE released Ugboaja later that day, but she now faces a check-in appointment with immigration officials on July 28…
…After news of her detention broke, federal U.S. lawmakers who represent the Rio Grande Valley denounced her arrest and said they would try to intervene to secure her release.
In 2019, a judge denied her request for asylum but simultaneously granted her protection from removal to Nigeria under the United Nations Convention Against Torture based on the finding that it was more likely than not that she would be tortured if she returned there.
But because her asylum claim was denied, Ugboaja is technically under a final order of removal, [her attorney, Carlos] Garcia said.
He added that Ugboaja has done everything asked of her since that 2019 order, including holding a valid work permit, complying with every condition of the protection order, and attending every mandatory appointment with immigration officials.
In detaining her last month, officials sought to deport her not to Nigeria, but to a third country, Garcia said.
