WASHINGTON.- Bruna Caroline Ferreira, mother of the nephew of the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavittwas detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials (ICE) in Massachusetts and transferred to a federal facility in Louisiana, where he faces deportation proceedings.
Ferreira, identified by authorities as “a criminal illegal alien from Brazil,” was arrested in Revere, Massachusetts, for allegedly overstaying her tourist visa, which expired in June 1999.
According to NBCNewsthe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) noted that she “entered the United States with a B2 visa that required her to leave the country before June 6, 1999He currently remains at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center.
The detainee shares an 11-year-old son with Michael Leavittolder brother of the presidential spokesperson. The minor has resided full-time with his father since birth and has never lived with his mother, according to a source cited by The New York Post.
History of assault
Michael Leavitt told the television station WMURof New Hampshire, that her “sole concern has always been the safety, well-being and privacy” of her son. Karoline Leavitt28 years old and the youngest spokesperson to have held the position in the White House, did not offer comments on the arrest, although a close source indicated that both women have not maintained communication for years.
Ferreira had been arrested in the past on suspicion of assault, although no charges were found against her in Massachusetts court records, according to the investigation. post.
Her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, rejected the DHS version and maintained that his client “maintained its legal status” under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In statements to WCVBthe defender assured that Ferreira “was in the process of obtaining her green card and was abruptly arrested and separated from her young son just before Thanksgiving.”
“Bruna has no criminal record,” he said. “There are no charges. She is not a criminal illegal immigrant. I’m just trying to fight to get her out of jail,” he added. He also reported that the minor has not been able to communicate with his mother since the arrest.
DHS defends the measure
DHS defended the measure. “Under President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, all people who are in the United States illegally are subject to deportation,” the agency told NBCNews.
Ferreira’s family has started a GoFundMe fundraiser, saying that she arrived in the country as a child in 1998 and has met “all the requirements” while seeking to build a stable life in the United States. “He has done everything possible to do the right thing”wrote the organizer.
The family story has also gained media attention due to the past of Michael Leavitt, who in 2014 won a million dollars in a Draft Kings fantasy football contest. At that time, he and Ferreira appeared publicly with their eight-month-old son, celebrating alongside a symbolic check from the betting site. “We are really lucky”Ferreira then said to the Eagle-Tribunepointing out that they only aspired to cover basic expenses and maintain a stable life.
The arrest occurs in a climate of immigration hardening driven by the Trump administration, which has undertaken what it describes as a “massive deportation campaign”with coordinated operations between ICE, the Border Patrol and the National Guard in various cities across the country.
