The mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew has been taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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According to NBC News, the mother of Leavitt’s nephew, Bruna Carolina Ferreira, was detained in Revere, Massachusetts, earlier this month.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed the news, stating Ferreira is a “criminal illegal from Brazil.” She is being accused of staying on an expired tourist visa since 1999.
The spokesperson further revealed that Ferreira is being held at a South Louisiana ICE Processing Center for a “previous arrest for battery.”
Sources close to the situation told NBC News that the press secretary’s nephew, Michael Leavitt Junior, has lived full-time in New Hampshire since birth. He has never lived with his mother.
Karoline Leavitt’s brother got engaged to Bruna Carolina Ferreira in 2014. That was the same year he had won $1 million in the DraftKings Millionaire Maker.
The couple has reportedly been separated for nearly a decade. A source told CNN that Karoline and Bruna have “not spoken in years.”
The Attorney Representing the Mother of Karoline Leavitt’s Nephew Disputes Department of Homeland Security’s Comments About Her ICE Arrest
Bruna Carolina Ferreira‘s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, also spoke to CNN, stating that the Department of Homeland spokesperson’s statement was inaccurate.
“We dispute that she has any criminal record,” Pomerleau said. “She’s not a ‘criminal illegal alien.”
He further shared that Ferreira is a former recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This program grants temporary protection from deportation to those brought to the US as children.
Ferreira was notably unable to renew her status when President Trump attempted to shut down the program during his first term in the Oval Office.
Following her ICE arrest, Ferreira’s family launched a GoFundMe to help her with legal funds.
“Bruna was brought to the United States by our parents in December of 1998, when she was just a child,” her sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, wrote. “Since then, she has done everything in her power to build a stable, honest life here.”
Ferreira has “maintained her legal status through DACA, followed every requirement, and has always strived to do the right thing,” her sister further confirmed.
“Anyone who knows Bruna knows the kind of person she is,” Rodrigues also noted. She is hardworking, kind, and always the first to offer help when someone needs it. Whether it’s supporting family, friends, or even strangers, Bruna has a heart that puts others before herself.”