Bruna Ferreira, the mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's nephew, has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Revere, Massachusetts, as part of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts. Ferreira, 33, a Brazilian national who moved to the US as a child, is now being held at an ICE facility in Louisiana, according to Boston radio station WBUR.
Ferreira was arrested on 12 November while leaving her home to collect her 11-year-old son, Michael Leavitt Jr, from school in New Hampshire. Her sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, told the Boston Globe that Ferreira's car was 'suddenly swarmed' by agents, who demanded her name and driver's licence. Ferreira did not have identification, and her sister described the encounter as frightening.
A White House source stated that Leavitt and Ferreira have not spoken in many years, and that the child has lived full-time with his father, Michael Leavitt, in New Hampshire since birth. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed that Ferreira is a 'criminal illegal alien from Brazil' with a previous arrest for battery, and that she entered the US on a tourist visa that expired in 1999. She is now in removal proceedings.
Ferreira's attorney, Todd Pomerleau, told CNN that she was in the midst of a lawful immigration process for US citizenship. Her sister has launched a GoFundMe page to cover legal costs, stating that Ferreira has maintained her status through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) programme, which grants temporary protection from deportation for those who entered the US as children. As of Wednesday, over $16,000 had been raised.
Karoline Leavitt, 28, made history in January as the youngest-ever White House press secretary. Her brother, Michael Leavitt, won $1m in a fantasy sports contest in 2014. In a statement, Leavitt said her only concern was for her son's safety, wellbeing, and privacy.
