A woman connected to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is in ICE custody after her arrest near Boston earlier this month. Bruna Caroline Ferreira, from Brazil and the mother of Leavitt’s nephew, was taken into custody on November 12, according to her attorney, Todd Pomerleau.
Ferreira’s son lives in New Hampshire with his father, Michael Leavitt, who is also Karoline Leavitt’s brother. Ferreira and Karoline haven’t communicated in years, a source revealed.
A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security indicated that Ferreira had been living in the U.S. illegally since her tourist visa expired in June 1999. They also mentioned that Ferreira has a prior arrest for battery and is currently facing removal proceedings.
Ferreira was a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that offers temporary protection against deportation for individuals brought to the U.S. as children. She attempted to renew her status a few years ago but couldn’t due to efforts by the Trump administration to end the program. Currently, she is working through a lawful process for U.S. citizenship, according to her attorney.
On the day of her arrest, she was driving to pick up her son. Ferreira and Michael are joint custodians of their 11-year-old child. Michael Leavitt shared that their son has not spoken to Ferreira since her detention, describing the situation as tough for the boy.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by Ferreira’s sister to help with legal costs, raising over $15,000 so far. Her sister noted that Ferreira moved to the U.S. as a child and has strived to live a stable life here.
Historical context shows that the DACA program faced challenges during the Trump administration. Although the Supreme Court ruled against the attempt to end it, many DACA recipients still face arrest as immigration policies shift.
In a recent statement, Tricia McLaughlin from Homeland Security emphasized that DACA does not provide legal status and “DACA recipients are not automatically protected from deportation.” This reflects ongoing debates about immigration enforcement and the protections available to vulnerable populations.
For further details on DACA and its implications, you can visit the Associated Press.
