Shocking video has emerged showing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents swarming and detaining a woman who is the mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's nephew. The footage, depicting the arrest of Bruna Caroline Ferreira in Massachusetts, has been condemned by her legal team as an act of "unconstitutional depravity."
The Dramatic Arrest Caught on Camera
According to footage obtained by TMZ, the incident occurred in Revere, Massachusetts, around 12:30 pm on 12 November. Ferreira, a 33-year-old native of Brazil, was filmed driving from her residence when her path was blocked by five unmarked vehicles. ICE agents quickly surrounded her car, demanded she exit, placed her in handcuffs, and put her into an SUV.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Ferreira originally entered the United States on a B2 tourist visa, which required her to depart the country by 6 June 1999. A spokesperson labelled her a "criminal illegal alien from Brazil," citing previous arrests on battery charges. She is now being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Centre and is awaiting deportation proceedings.
Family Ties and Legal Outcry
Ferreira shares a son with Michael Leavitt, the brother of the White House Press Secretary. The child, Karoline Leavitt's nephew, reportedly lives in New Hampshire with his father. Sources indicate that Karoline Leavitt has not spoken to Ferreira in years.
Ferreira's attorney, Todd Pomerleau, provided a starkly different characterisation of his client to TMZ. He described her as a single mother who owns two businesses and was awaiting her green card. "This is targeted, unconstitutional depravity," Pomerleau stated. "She now sits in a for-profit prison in Louisiana stripped from her child right before the holidays."
Another lawyer, Jeffrey Rubin, told WBZ News that Ferreira was a member of the DACA dreamer programme. In a statement, he accused the government of abusing its power, writing that it had chosen "a cruel and inhumane random mass deportation that now ensnares a relative of someone in the inner circle of the White House."
Background and Family Response
Pomerleau explained that Ferreira arrived in the US when she was just six years old. She was once engaged to Michael Leavitt and they had a child together before their relationship ended. The attorney was keen to note there was no animosity between Ferreira and the Leavitt family, revealing that Karoline Leavitt is the godmother to Ferreira's son, chosen over her own sister.
When contacted by WBZ News, Michael Leavitt declined to comment on his former partner, stating, "My only concern has always been the safety, well being, and privacy of my son." Pomerleau added a poignant detail: Ferreira was reportedly en route to pick up her son from school at the time of her arrest, a routine she performed several days a week.
