{"id":31767,"date":"2026-08-08T02:06:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=31767"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:06:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:06:30","slug":"maine-surgical-nurse-released-from-immigration-detention-following-outcry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=31767","title":{"rendered":"Maine surgical nurse released from immigration detention following outcry"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"anchor-e79623\" class=\"body-graf\">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.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-08a80f\" class=\"body-graf\">In her first statement since being released Thursday evening, the nurse, Debora Kapisha, said she is \u201cso thankful to be home and can\u2019t wait to return to my co-workers and patients.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-3dc215\" class=\"body-graf\">Sara English, a nurse at Maine Medical Center, read the statement on behalf of Kapisha during a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalnursesunited.org\/press\/debora-kapisha-rn-freed-from-ice-custody\" target=\"_blank\">news conference Friday morning<\/a> hosted by National Nurses United, the country\u2019s largest nurses union, and its affiliate Maine State Nurses Association.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-c0fe97\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cWe protect each other and we protect our patients. And in this case, we stood up for and we protected Debora,\u201d Janelle Crowley, a NICU nurse at Maine Medical Center and a union leader at Maine State Nurses Association, said at the news conference.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-0a2327\" class=\"body-graf\">Originally from Zambia, Kapisha is a medical-surgical nurse at Maine Medical Center who works with dialysis patients, according to the union.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-a56337\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cIt\u2019s a tough unit to work on,\u201d Kelli Brennan, a registered nurse at Maine Medical Center and co-president of Maine State Nurses Association, told NBC News in a phone interview. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely an area that we need her in.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__FvnTh styles_medium__MEKii styles_portrait__NEQhG\" id=\"anchor-30483b\"><picture class=\"styles_image__i32F7\" data-testid=\"picture\" data-flavor=\"fit\" data-original-height=\"1100\" data-original-width=\"856\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-08\/260807-Debora-Kapisha-aa-1235-8d0781.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-08\/260807-Debora-Kapisha-aa-1235-8d0781.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-08\/260807-Debora-Kapisha-aa-1235-8d0781.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-08\/260807-Debora-Kapisha-aa-1235-8d0781.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-08\/260807-Debora-Kapisha-aa-1235-8d0781.jpg\" alt=\"Debora Kapisha.\" height=\"1100\" width=\"856\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__TCewG\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Debora Kapisha, a medical-surgical nurse who works with dialysis patients, has a pending asylum case, according to colleagues.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Courtesy of the Kapisha family<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"anchor-558619\" class=\"body-graf\">According to the union, ICE officers detained Kapisha on July 30 while she was traveling through Boston\u2019s Logan International Airport.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-b7c195\" class=\"body-graf\">The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. On Wednesday, ICE <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newscentermaine.com\/article\/news\/local\/maine-immigration\/maine-nurses-protest-ice-detains-nurse-logan-airport-portland-maine-medical-center-deborah-kapisha\/97-9a909767-cf26-4a45-8305-471cf562a21f\" target=\"_blank\">told NBC affiliate WCSH of Portland<\/a> that Kapisha entered the United States legally in 2024 on a five-month visa, but \u201cfailed to depart\u201d before that visa expired.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-1a5882\" class=\"body-graf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalnursesunited.org\/press\/200-maine-nurses-community-members-and-elected-officials-rallied-outside-maine-medical-center\" target=\"_blank\">Kapisha\u2019s union<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mainehealth.org\/news\/2026\/08\/mainehealth-seeks-answers-requests-support-nurse-detained-immigration-authorities\" target=\"_blank\">her employer<\/a> have said she has been living and working in the United States legally while her asylum case remains pending.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-7fc5f2\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cWe\u2019re going to keep advocating for Debora,\u201d Brennan said. \u201cWe\u2019re celebrating our victory today. But this is not the end, and we have to keep fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-b46e2f\" class=\"body-graf\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mainehealth.org\/news\/2026\/08\/mainehealth-seeks-answers-requests-support-nurse-detained-immigration-authorities\" target=\"_blank\">a statement Thursday, <\/a>Britt Crewse, president of MaineHealth\u2019s Southern Region, which includes Maine Medical Center, expressed his concern over Kapisha\u2019s immigration detention, \u201cespecially given that this individual appears to have been living and working here legally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-ee3eea\" class=\"body-graf\">Kapisha\u2019s case has also put a spotlight on how healthcare workers are being caught in the crosshairs of the Trump administration\u2019s immigration detention and mass deportation operations. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-5b9e8b\" class=\"body-graf\">In Maine, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/ice-launches-maine-immigration-enforcement-action-rcna255274\" target=\"_blank\">surge in immigration enforcement<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/duran-guerrero-shot-ice-biddeford-maine-young-dad-rcna587557\" target=\"_blank\">killing of  Biddeford resident Johan Sebasti\u00e1n Dur\u00e1n Guerrero<\/a> by ICE officers have had ripple effects in the hospital where she works, Brennan said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-53e75c\" class=\"body-graf\">These events led to staff shortages at her hospital, according to Brennan, affecting all departments including healthcare, cleaning, dietary and ancillary workers.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-6e6d9c\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cPeople were doing jobs that they don\u2019t normally do,\u201d she said, such as doctors pushing stretchers in the halls to transport patients to and from their procedures. \u201cEverybody was worried and concerned for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-bac50d\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cOur colleagues were afraid to leave the house. Our patients were afraid to come to appointments,\u201d Brennan added. \u201cWe definitely have a reliance on immigrants to to help run our healthcare system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-317d74\" class=\"endmark body-graf\">Crewse added that \u201cenforcement surge by immigration authorities has many of our care team members on edge.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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. In her first statement since being released Thursday evening, the nurse, Debora Kapisha, said she is \u201cso thankful to be home and can\u2019t&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31768,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_nbcnews-fp-1200-630,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-08\/260807-Debora-Kapisha-aa-1235-8d0781.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31767\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}