Maine Med nurses celebrate release of colleague from ICE custody
Todd Ricker, lead labor representative for the Maine State Nurses Association, introduces speakers during a news conference on Friday in Portland about the release of Debora Kapisha, who had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Joe Lawlor/Staff Writer)
PORTLAND — Nurses at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center held a news conference Friday to celebrate the release of a colleague who had been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Debora Kapisha, a registered nurse at the hospital, was detained last week while traveling through Boston Logan International Airport, according to the Maine State Nurses Association union. During the news conference outside the hospital, Maine Med nurse Sarah English read a statement from Kapisha, who was not present.
“Thank you for all your love and support. I am so thankful to be home and can’t wait to return to my co-workers and patients,” according to Kapisha’s statement.
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Wednesday that Kapisha was apprehended on July 30 for allegedly overstaying a visa that expired in November 2024. Kapisha, who is from Zambia in southern Africa, is an asylum seeker who is legally authorized to work in the country, according to the union.
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Maine Medical Center nurses protest colleague’s ICE detention
Outside the hospital Wednesday, over 100 nurses protested her ICE detention.
On Friday, about a dozen nurses celebrated her return, holding signs that said “ICE Not Welcome Here” and “Will Crush ICE for Our Patients.”
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“As a union, when we heard this happened to one of us, we all sprang into action. If we hadn’t made this ruckus, I don’t think she would be back,” English said.
Nurse Janel Crowley said she believes the protest on Wednesday, which attracted attention on social media, and pressure from U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, and other politicians helped get her coworker released. Kapisha was released from detention on Thursday, according to Pingree and the union.
“There was no reason for her to be detained. She is here legally,” Crowley said. “I am overjoyed. To have her released so quickly is just phenomenal.”
Kapisha had challenged her detention in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, according to court documents. A federal judge ruled Wednesday that ICE couldn’t transfer her out of New England before a hearing that was scheduled for next week.
Kelli Brennan, copresident of the Maine State Nurses Association, said it took everyone’s effort.
“This is what community looks like. This is what solidarity looks like. This is what democracy looks like,” Brennan said.
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Tagged: Immigration and Customs Enforcement, maine medical center, MaineHealth, nurses
Joe Lawlor writes about health and human services for the Press Herald. A 24-year newspaper veteran, Lawlor has worked in Ohio, Michigan and Virginia before relocating to Maine in 2013 to join the Press. More by Joe Lawlor
