The lawyers of Bruna Ferreira, the mother of Karoline Leavitt’s 11-year-old nephew, have accused the White House press secretary of lying about their relationship.
Ferreira, who has resided in the U.S. since 1998, was arrested earlier last month in Revere, Massachusetts, while attempting to pick up her son, Michael Leavitt Jr.
She is currently being held in a detention facility in southern Louisiana.
Highlights
- Bruna Ferreira, the mother of Karoline Leavitt's nephew, was arrested by ICE while trying to pick up her son in Massachusetts.
- Ferreira's attorney confirmed she had contact with the Leavitt family, contradicting White House claims of no recent communication.
- The Department of Homeland Security labeled Ferreira a 'criminal illegal alien,' a claim her lawyer strongly denies.
The lawyers representing the detained mother of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew said Leavitt lied about their relationship
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The lawyers responded to a statement by a White House spokesperson after the arrest, which said, “This individual is the mother of Karoline’s nephew and they have not spoken in many years.”
Ferreira’s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, rejected the claims. He said Ferreira had spent time with the Leavitt family, including her son’s father and Leavitt’s brother, Michael Leavitt Sr., at their son’s soccer game just weeks before her arrest.
The couple is alleged to have separated about 10 years ago.
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“She’s seen and talked to Karoline Leavitt definitely within the past year, if not the past months,” Pomerleau told The Daily Beast.
“A few weeks before her arrest, she’s still a ‘criminal illegal alien’ hanging out with the Leavitt family that’s preaching against criminal legal aliens,” Pomerleau said.
“She was a ‘criminal legal alien’ back when she was dating Michael Leavitt, and he had no issue with it.”
Pomerleau added that Ferreira “literally picked Karoline to be the godmother of Michael Jr., over her own sister.”
The White House statement also alleged that the “child has lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father since birth. He has never resided with his mother.”
Image credits: GoFundMe
Ferreira denied these claims, although Pomerleau did not give specifics.
Michael Leavitt Sr. said in a statement that while their son lives with him and his wife, he has always maintained a relationship with his biological mother. He told WBUR that his “only concern has always been the safety, wellbeing, and privacy of [his] son.”
The son has not had an opportunity to speak with his mother since she was detained by ICE weeks ago.
The lawyers alleged Karoline Leavitt spent time with Ferreira only weeks before her arrest
Image credits: GoFundMe
Pomerleau said Ferreira has been in the U.S. since she first entered the country at age 6 and was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The immigration program, established in 2012, protects children brought to the U.S. from deportation and provides them with work permits.
She was in the process of getting her residency when ICE detained her.
Ferreira’s sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, has launched a GoFundMe to support legal fees. “I’m sure my sister was terrified, frantic. She’s been here since she was six years old. She’s more American than she is anything else,” Rodrigues told The Boston Globe.
She added that Ferreira had desperately tried to tell ICE agents about her relationship to Leavitt at the time of her arrest.
Image credits: Mike Leavitt/Facebook
Rodrigues also criticized advice from Ferreira’s ex and his father. “They just kept saying, ‘Tell her to self-deport.’ Self-deport to where? Brazil is not her home.”
She added that Leavitt herself has not offered any help. “If she were to help in any way, if she were willing to do anything to help us, she would have reached out by now. She has my phone number,” Rodrigues said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called Ferreira a “criminal illegal alien” and cited a “previous arrest for battery.” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Ferreira was required to leave the U.S. in 1999 when her tourist visa expired.
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But Pomerleau has rejected this claim: “Bruna has no criminal record whatsoever. 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.”
The case has drawn attention as ICE faces criticism nationwide. A Daily Mail/JL Partners survey found just 34% of registered voters support the agency, while 45% disapprove of its actions, which include raids, underage arrests, and violent treatment by masked agents.