Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is detaining and planning to deport a relative of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Brazilian-born Bruna Caroline Ferreira is the mother of Leavitt’s grandson. She was arrested in Revere, Massachusetts, on Nov. 12 and is being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
A government spokesperson said Ferreira is an “undocumented criminal foreigner from Brazil” who has overstayed her tourist visa, which expired in June 1999, according to NBC. According to the same source, the woman had an arrest warrant against her on suspicion of assault, although it is unclear how the case was solved.
Ferreira’s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, said she came to the United States legally under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and is in the process of obtaining her permanent resident card. “Bruna has no criminal record. I don’t know where she came from. Show us the evidence. There are no charges. She’s not a criminal or an illegal immigrant; we hear that from anyone who isn’t a U.S. citizen,” Pomerleau said. The defender said Ferreira was unable to renew his permit during Trump’s first term because of the Republican’s efforts to end the DACA program.
Ferreira did not live with Leavitt’s nephew, who resides with his father, Michael Leavitt, and stepmother. Leavitt said his son has lived with him in New Hampshire since he was born, although Ferreira has maintained a relationship with the boy. Karoline Leavitt’s brother declined to speak on camera Tuesday night out of concern for his son’s privacy, saying his biggest concern is the boy’s safety and well-being following his arrest.
Ferreira’s family has started a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe to cover the costs of his defense. According to her family, the woman was brought to the United States as a child in 1998 and has done “everything in her power to build a stable, honest life here.”
Ferreira’s relatives insist that the Brazilian had legal status through the DACA program, which grants residency to those who came to the country illegally as children. However, it would not be the first case of DACA recipients arrested by ICE. According to AP, at least 20 dreamersas people who have temporary permission to work in the United States under DACA are known, they have been detained by immigration agents in recent months. Although the government has said that ICE detentions prioritize criminals, most of the people arrested in the anti-immigration campaign launched by the Donald Trump administration have no criminal records and are people who have lived and worked in the United States for decades.
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin explained in a statement that DACA recipients can lose their status “for several reasons, including if they have committed a crime.”
