A Maine nurse who was detained by federal immigration authorities at Boston Logan International Airport last week has been released from ICE custody, according to the nation’s largest nurses’ union and a Maine congresswoman.
The release comes after hundreds of nurses rallied in support of Deborah Kapisa, a native of Zambia who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Homeland Security officials have said Kapisa was in the United States on expired visas. However, the Maine State Nurses Association argues that she is authorized to live and work in the country while her asylum application remains pending.
Federal officials dispute that claim, saying a pending asylum application does not automatically grant legal immigration status. Immigration experts note that pending applications can provide temporary protection from deportation while a case is under review, but do not necessarily confer legal status.
Kapisa’s detention sparked outcry from nurses and labor advocates across New England. Supporters previously succeeded in blocking her transfer from Massachusetts to a detention facility in Louisiana while legal and immigration proceedings continued.
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