A woman with a family connection to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Revere, Massachusetts, a development that has created both public interest and confusion about her immigration status.
The woman, Bruna Ferreira, shares an 11-year-old son with Michael Leavitt, the press secretary’s brother. Ferreira, who migrated from Brazil to the United States as a child, is currently being held at an ICE facility in southern Louisiana.
Michael Leavitt released a statement emphasizing that his “only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of [his] son.” He told WMUR-TV that his son lives with him and his wife full-time, though Ferreira has remained part of the child’s life. He said he has always tried to maintain communication with her, but added that their son has not spoken to his mother since she was detained several weeks ago.
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Ferreira’s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, says she arrived in the United States under DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields certain immigrants brought to the country as minors from deportation. Pomerleau said Ferreira was in the process of securing permanent residency when she was “abruptly arrested and taken from her young child right before Thanksgiving.”
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A source familiar with the matter provided a statement to NBC saying, “This individual is the mother of Karoline’s nephew, and they have not spoken in many years. The child has lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father since he was born. He has never resided with his mother.”
The Department of Homeland Security offered a sharply different portrayal of Ferreira. A spokesperson said, “ICE arrested Bruna Caroline Ferreria, a criminal illegal alien from Brazil. She has a previous arrest for battery. She entered the U.S. on a B2 tourist visa that required her to depart the U.S. by June 6, 1999.
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She is currently at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and is in removal proceedings. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation.” Pomerleau disputes those claims, insisting Ferreira has no criminal history.
“Bruna has no criminal record whatsoever,” he said. “I don’t know where that is coming from. Show us the proof. There are no charges out there. She’s not a criminal, illegal alien.”
Karoline Leavitt, a New Hampshire native who ran unsuccessfully for Congress before becoming White House Press Secretary, has declined to comment on Ferreira’s arrest. The case continues to unfold as the family navigates the legal process and the public scrutiny surrounding it.
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