Union nurses rally for colleague Debora Kapisha outside Maine Medical Center, Portland, Aug. 6, 2026. (Photo: National Nurses United)
Special to Workers World
Debora Kapisha, a union nurse at Maine Medical Center in Portland [Maine], who was recently kidnapped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Portland International Jetport in Maine, was released from ICE custody on Aug. 6. Kapisha is a medical surgical nurse and member of Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNOC), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), the largest and fastest growing nurses’ union in the U.S.
Union nurses rally for colleague Debora Kapisha outside Maine Medical Center, Portland, Aug. 6, 2026. (Photo: National Nurses United)
Kapisha is from Zambia and was arrested while traveling through Logan Airport on July 30. While holding her in custody, ICE threatened to transfer Kapisha to a detention facility in Louisiana. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made the charge that Kapisha “overstayed her legal visa.” (nationalnursesunited.org, Aug. 6).
Over 200 members and supporters of MSNA and NNU organized a militant rally outside of Maine Medical Center demanding the release of their union sibling. “We were able to organize a rally for Debora within 24 hours of finding out she had been detained by ICE,” said MSNA activist leader Kelli Brennan. The union was successful in pressuring the ICE terrorists to release Kapisha and was able to block them from transferring her to Louisiana.
MSNA held a press conference on Aug. 7 to announce Kapisha’s freedom and ability to travel back to Maine. Wearing red T-shirts that read “Nurses for Democracy,” MSNA activists highlighted how their collective action resulted in a victory. NNU has taken courageous positions against ICE within the labor movement by calling for its complete abolition. Their bold stance has forced other labor unions and healthcare organizations to condemn ICE terror as well.
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