MaineHealth Nurse Released After Court Challenge to ICE Arrest at Jetport
Jul 30, 2026·Location: Portland, ME
Country of origin: Zambia

Debora Kapisha, a Maine Medical Center nurse originally from Zambia, was taken into ICE custody at Portland International Jetport on July 30 after an agent told her she needed a luggage inspection in a separate room, where immigration agents were waiting, according to her attorney Kerry Doyle. ICE has accused her of overstaying a visa that expired in November 2024, though she has a pending asylum claim and, according to the Maine State Nurses Association, is legally authorized to work in the U.S. After she challenged her detention in federal court, Kapisha was ordered released from ICE custody last week, though her removal case continues. Her colleagues protested her detention, and Maine immigrant advocates say at least five people have been detained at the jetport in the past two weeks amid a nationwide increase in airport immigration enforcement.
Sources
- ICE Steps Up Presence at Portland Jetport as Agency Prepares to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves
themainewire.com·Aug 15, 2026·archived copy
- In Maine, a nurse’s ICE arrest sparks outrage: ‘Now it happened to one of our own’
Boston Globe·Aug 7, 2026·archived copy
- Portland nurse was detained by ICE during jetport security screening
pressherald.com·Aug 12, 2026
- 'So thankful to be home': Maine nurse who was detained by ICE shares statement through union
WMTW·Aug 7, 2026
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