Maine press releases

Debora Kapisha, RN, freed from ICE custody, returns home

Debora Kapisha, the registered nurse detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently at Portland International Jetport, has been released from ICE custody and is on her way home to Maine. Kapisha, a medical-surgical nurse at Maine Medical Center in Portland, is a member of Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee an affiliate of National Nurses United, the country’s largest nurses union.

Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

August 6, 2026

200+ Maine nurses, community members, and elected officials rallied outside Maine Medical Center to demand ICE release colleague Debora Kapisha, RN

Hundreds of union registered nurses, community allies, and elected officials rallied in Portland, Maine to demand the release of Debora Kapisha, RN, a nurse at Maine Medical Center who is currently detained by ICE. They scored a major first victory by successfully blocking her transfer from Massachusetts to Louisiana, where she would have been far from her family, legal counsel, and support network.

August 5, 2026

Maine Medical Center nurses demand immediate release of their colleague from ICE detention

Nurses at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine are staging an emergency protest Wednesday, Aug. 5 to demand the immediate release of an RN colleague who is being detained by ICE despite the fact that she is legally authorized to live and work in the country while she waits for her asylum case from Zambia to be processed.

Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

August 4, 2026

National Nurses United condemns ICE murder in Maine

National Nurses United (NNU) is today condemning the latest murder by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, this time in Biddeford, Maine. NNU maintains that the only way forward on this issue of fascist authoritarian violence targeting communities nationwide is the abolition of ICE. This latest horror comes just days after ICE’s murder of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas.

National Nurses United

July 13, 2026

Nurses to strike at Houlton Regional Hospital starting May 26

Registered nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital in Houlton, Maine, will begin a four-day strike on Tuesday, May 26, to protest management’s refusal to address their deep concerns about emergency department staffing and its impact on patient care.

Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

May 22, 2026

Union nurses to be joined by Graham Platner, local electeds, unions, and community leaders for health care town hall

Registered nurses with the National Nurses Organizing Committee / National Nurses United are hosting a community town hall with Graham Platner on Wednesday, May 20, in Portland, Maine, to discuss the current state of health care and what it would take to truly transform our system.

Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

May 18, 2026

Registered nurses, allies to demand Maine Health cancel contract with Palantir Technologies

Maine Medical Center registered nurses will hold a press conference on Friday, May 1 in Portland to demand Maine Health cancel its contract with Palantir Technologies. Joined by their allies in the Purge Palantir campaign, nurses will detail why leaders of Maine’s public institutions and health care organizations should refuse collaborations with the surveillance software giant.

Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

April 30, 2026

National Nurses United endorses Matt Dunlap for Maine’s 2nd District

National Nurses United announced its endorsement of Matt Dunlap for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. Throughout his decades of service, Matt has shown he is a person of real integrity. He has always put nurses and our patients first, and we know he'll stand up against corporate interests.

National Nurses United

April 2, 2026

Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center nurses to hold press event for health care justice with Graham Platner

Nurses will hold a press conference in Bangor, Maine, with Graham Platner, candidate for U.S. Senate, on March 25. After eight months of bargaining, nurses at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine, will vote today on a tentative agreement that addresses health and safety concerns of patients and nurses.

Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

March 24, 2026

Northern Light EMMC nurses win tentative agreement in contract negotiations

After bargaining for eight months for improvements in health, safety, and economic language in their union contract, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) nurses have announced a final tentative agreement with their administration. The nurses’ strike, which had been scheduled for this coming Monday, is called off.

Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

March 21, 2026