A MaineHealth nurse detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week is being released today, according to U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine’s 1st District.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Wednesday that Debora Kapisha, originally from Zambia, had overstayed a visa.
In a video posted to social media Thursday, Pingree said that’s misleading, because Kapisha had applied for asylum.
“You come in on a visa as she did. She applied for asylum as was necessary for her to stay here,” Pingree said. “She’s been legally granted work authorization, and she’s going to work helping Maine people working at our hospital.”
More than 100 nurses and supporters rallied outside Maine Medical Center in Portland on Wednesday, calling for Kapisha’s release and urging MaineHealth to sponsor her for permanent legal status.
“We’re incredibly proud that nurses and the community came together in Portland to advocate for her, and now we need to figure out how to stop ICE,” Kelli Brennan, a registered nurse at Maine Medical Center and co-president of the Maine State Nurses Association, said in a Thursday statement.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.