A registered nurse is back with her family after a weeklong fight with the support of community members and colleagues from Maine Medical Center, who demanded she be released from immigration detention.
Debora Kapisha, a medical-surgical nurse from Zambia who works with dialysis patients, was detained by ICE officers on July 30 while traveling through Boston’s Logan International Airport. Her union and employer have said she has been living and working in the United States legally while her asylum case remains pending.
In her first statement since being released Thursday evening, Kapisha said she is “so thankful to be home and can’t wait to return to my co-workers and patients.”
The Union’s Response
Sara English, a nurse at Maine Medical Center, read the statement on behalf of Kapisha during a news conference Friday morning hosted by National Nurses United and its affiliate Maine State Nurses Association.
“We protect each other, and we protect our patients. And in this case, we stood up for and we protected Debora,” said Janelle Crowley, a NICU nurse at Maine Medical Center and a union leader.
Kelli Brennan, a registered nurse at Maine Medical Center and co-president of the union, said Kapisha’s unit is “a tough unit to work on. It’s definitely an area that we need her in.”
The Government’s Position
On Wednesday, ICE told NBC affiliate WCSH of Portland that Kapisha entered the United States legally in 2024 on a five-month visa but “failed to depart” before that visa expired. Kapisha’s union and employer have disputed this, saying she has been living and working legally while her asylum case remains pending.
The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.
Impact on Healthcare
Kapisha’s case has put a spotlight on how healthcare workers are being caught in the crosshairs of the Trump administration’s immigration detention and mass deportation operations.
In Maine, a surge in immigration enforcement has had ripple effects at Maine Medical Center. Staff shortages have affected all departments, including healthcare, cleaning, dietary, and ancillary workers.
“Our colleagues were afraid to leave the house. Our patients were afraid to come to appointments,” Brennan said. “We definitely have a reliance on immigrants to help run our healthcare system.”
In a statement Thursday, Britt Crewse, president of MaineHealth’s Southern Region, expressed concern over Kapisha’s detention, “especially given that this individual appears to have been living and working here legally.”
The Bottom Line
Maine Medical Center nurse Debora Kapisha was released from ICE detention after a week of community and union pressure. The Zambian nurse, who works with dialysis patients, was detained at Boston’s Logan International Airport on July 30. Her union and employer say she has been living and working legally while her asylum case is pending. ICE said she overstayed a five-month visa. Her release comes amid broader concerns about immigration enforcement’s impact on healthcare workers.
