Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson is demanding the release of a Maine Medical Center nurse from Zambia after she was detained by ICE on Thursday at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts.
ICE says she entered the country on a visa but failed to depart before it expired.
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“I’ve learned through my union brothers and sisters at the Maine State Nurses Association that one of their colleagues, Debora Kapisha, has been detained by ICE,” said Jackson.
“I join the Maine State Nurses Association in demanding Debora’s immediate release from ICE detention, and I call on the Maine Medical Center to take immediate steps to formally sponsor her for permanent residency,” he added.
The nurses’ union revealed the situation on Tuesday and urged people to attend a planned protest outside the Maine Medical Center on Wednesday morning.
Jackson also encouraged people to attend, but did not show up at the protest himself because he allegedly has COVID.
During the protest, multiple nurses spoke, demanding Kapisha’s release, calling for ICE’s abolishment, yelling and swearing about Susan Collins, and reading a letter ostensibly written by her family.
While Jackson was absent, other politicians and candidates, including Democratic gubernatorial candidate Hannah Pingree; Deqa Dhalac (D-South Portland), who has ties to healthcare fraud through Gateway Community Services; and Portland City Councilor Wes Pelletier, were present.
Pingree spoke briefly and initiated a chant of “ICE Out.”
The nurses identified the detainee as an asylum seeker from Zambia. They claimed that she was legally authorized to live and work in the U.S. while her asylum case was being adjudicated. That claim was disputed by ICE.
The nurses explained that she was traveling through Logan Airport when she was detained by ICE and taken to a holding facility in Massachusetts. They claimed that ICE plans to move her to a facility in Louisiana.
Though Kapisha does appear in ICE detainee records, the records do not specify where she is being held.
The Maine Wire reached out to ICE, which explained the reason for Kapisha’s detention.
“Kapisha entered our country on May 14, 2024, on a visa that was set to expire on November 13, 2024. She failed to depart before this date in violation of our nation’s immigration laws. She will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of her removal proceedings. She will receive full due process,” they said.
ICE added that a pending asylum application does not grant legal status.
“Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App,” they added.
The nurses’ union is coordinating with Kapisha’s attorneys to push for her release and to prevent her from being transferred.
The union is also demanding that the Maine Medical Center sponsor Kapisha’s bid for permanent resident status.
“Since ICE began kidnapping Black and brown people and terrorizing our communities, National Nurses United has called it out as an illegitimate, violent, paramilitary organization that must be promptly abolished,” said the union in its statement.
Jackson also used the incident to accuse ICE of racially motivated targeting and call for its total abolishment.
According to state licensing records, Kapisha has maintained a license as a registered nurse since June 2025 and has faced no disciplinary action.
Why did not her employer stay on top of this. Hospital leadership is also compliant. Poorly done leadership, especially for high paid leadership!
The law is the law!! Remember no one is above the law…liberals should know
this, they’ve had it as their mantra for quite some time!!
No one is above the law, and Troy used to protest illegals taking US jobs.
No one bothered to a background check?
The state says:”State and FBI criminal background checks (CBCs) are required for all applicants for initial licensure and licensure by endorsement, including applicants for multistate licensure pursuant to M.R.S. Title 32, chapter 31, subchapter 2-A.”
This includes fingerprints, just like with teachers, so how does someone who is not supposed even be in the country pass an FBI background check? Doesn’t the FBI even bother to check to see if she’s on the list of people who aren’t supposed to be here?
Or did the State of Maine not bother to require a background check on her?
And then how did Maine Med fill out the I-9 form to hire her? Or did they not bother?
Either way there should be some legal liability for them here.
And then what was she using for “Real ID” to get into Logan Airport?
Does she somehow have a “Real ID” Maine drivers license? If so, how did she get it?!?
Hopefully she doesn’t have a US passport, I doubt she was using her Zambian one, so what was she using as ID to even get into Logan?
There are an awful lot of questions that need to be asked, there are a lot of other people with questions to answer.
She has already been in our country almost two yrs linger than allowed. Perhaps the loudspeakers protesting like the walking umbrella Dulaq an Pinhead Pingree should know our immigration laws before they start screeching on behalf of someone here in an expired visa. Troy Jackson? He campaigns on how he protested previously on foreigners involved in Maine logging industry yet now supports illegals who are FOREIGNERS LOL! People should already have figured out Jacksons elevator dosent go to the top since he is married to his cousin, say what ya will but that just aint normal.. Smh lol
Maine is mostly woke, democratic, leftist liberals, who are uneducated (including the poiticians) and think they are above the law. They all need a cup of Jim Jones kool-aid.
KEEP ICE IN MAINE!
KEEP ICE IN MAINE!
KEEP.ICE IN MAINE