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The mother of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew has been detained by Immigrationand Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Bruna Ferreira, who has an 11-year-old son with the White House press secretary’s brother, Michael Leavitt, was arrested by agents this month and is being held in Louisiana.
According to her family, Ferreira came to the U.S. from Brazil on a visa as a child in 1998 and maintained her legal status through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
- Bruna Ferreira, mother of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, was arrested by ICE and is held in Louisiana.
- Ferreira came to the U.S. from Brazil as a child in 1998 and has an 11-year-old son with Karoline Leavitt’s brother Michael.
- Her family has raised nearly $16,000 via GoFundMe to fight her detention and reunite her with her son before the holidays.
Bruna Ferreira, the mother of Karoline Leavitt’s 11-year-old nephew, has been arrested by ICE
Image credits: GoFundMe
Her son, Michael Leavitt Junior, is understood to live full-time with his father and stepmother, but has a close relationship with Ferreira.
“My only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of my son,” Michael Leavitt said in a statement to WBUR.
The couple is thought to have separated around 10 years ago.
An article in The North Andover Eagle Tribune about Michael winning $1 million in a Draft Kings Millionaire Maker contest in 2014 described their son as being eight months old and said they were engaged.
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
An official in the Trump administration told WBUR that Ferreira and Michael Leavitt have not spoken in years, and their son has lived with his father full-time since birth.
Ferreira’s family is now fundraising in a desperate bid to bring her back home, with nearly $16,000 raised so far for legal costs.
“My sister, Bruna, was recently detained by immigration and is now fighting to stay in the country she has called home for nearly her entire life,” Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues wrote on the page.
“Bruna was brought to the United States by our parents in December of 1998, when she was just a child, entering on a visa.
“Since then, she has done everything in her power to build a stable, honest life here. She has maintained her legal status through DACA, followed every requirement, and has always strived to do the right thing.
Image credits: Mike Leavitt/Facebook
“Anyone who knows Bruna knows the kind of person she is. She is hardworking, kind, and always the first to offer help when someone needs it. Whether it’s supporting family, friends, or even strangers, Bruna has a heart that puts others before herself.
“Bruna’s absence has been especially painful for her 11-year-old son, Michael Leavitt Junior, who needs his mother and hopes every single day that she’ll be home in time for the holidays.”
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Ferreira had a “previous arrest for battery” and was required to leave the U.S. in 1999 when her tourist visa expired.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation,” McLaughlin said.
It is understood that Michael Leavitt Junior lives full-time with his dad
Image credits: GoFundMe
The criminal record has been disputed by Ferreira’s lawyer, while Massachusetts’ online court records did not contain any documents to confirm the allegation.
Todd Pomerleau, Ferreira’s lawyer, told the Daily Mail his client had been blindsided by her arrest and disputed the DHS’s claims.
“Bruna has no criminal record whatsoever,” Pomerleau 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.
Image credits: GoFundMe
“She’s in the process of actually getting her residency, and she was abruptly arrested and taken from her young child right before Thanksgiving.”
The development comes as a new poll highlighted low support across the U.S. for ICE operations, with a Daily Mail/JL Partners survey finding the agency has just a 34% approval rating.
Of the 1,246 registered voters surveyed online, 45% disapproved of ICE.
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