Maine Medical Center Nurse Detained by ICE Sparks Portland Protest

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Zambian asylum seeker and registered nurse Debora Kapisha at Boston Logan International Airport on July 30 while she was traveling through Massachusetts. Kapisha, who works as a medical‑surgical nurse at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine, is legally authorized to live and work in the United States while her asylum application is pending.

The Maine State Nurses Association announced that nurses at Maine Medical Center will gather on Wednesday morning outside the hospital’s Western Promenade entrance to demand Kapisha’s immediate release and to call on the hospital to formally sponsor her for permanent residency. The protest follows reports that ICE plans to transfer Kapisha to a detention facility in Louisiana, farther from her family, attorneys and support network.