A woman with close family ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, reports Daily Mail, writes UNN.
Details
Bruna Ferreira was taken into custody in Revere, Massachusetts, and sent to an ICE facility in southern Louisiana.
"She has an 11-year-old son with Leavitt's brother, Michael Leavitt. The little boy, Michael Leavitt Jr., is named after his father," the publication writes.
Ferreira arrived in the United States as a child with her family, who came from Brazil.
Her lawyer said she arrived in 1998 under the federal DACA program and was in the process of obtaining a green card.
Michael Leavitt stated in his statement that the 11-year-old boy permanently resides with him and his wife, but has always maintained a relationship with his biological mother.
He told WBUR that his "only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of [his] son."
Michael said the little boy has not had a chance to speak to his mother since she was detained by ICE "a few weeks ago."
A source familiar with the family's events told the Daily Mail that Leavitt has not spoken to her nephew's mother in many years.
"This person is Karoline's nephew's mother, and they haven't spoken in many years," the insider said.
"The child has resided permanently in New Hampshire with his father since birth. She has never resided with her mother," the source said.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told the Daily Mail that Ferreira is a "criminal illegal immigrant" who "had a prior arrest for assault." "She entered the U.S. on a B2 tourist visa, which required her to leave the U.S. by June 6, 1999," the spokeswoman said.
"Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals illegally present in the United States are subject to deportation," she added.
Todd Pomerleau, an attorney representing Ferreira, said she was completely stunned by her detention and criticized DHS's allegations of an alleged criminal charge against her. "Bruna has no criminal record," Pomerleau said. "I don't know where that came from. Show us the evidence. There are no charges. She is not a criminal illegal immigrant. She is actually getting a green card, and she was suddenly detained and taken away from her young child right before Thanksgiving."