Amid US government’s crackdown on illegal immigration with rampant raids across the country to nab illegal immigrants and expedite their deportation process, a relative of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has now come under the scanner.
Bruna Ferreira, a woman from Brazil, was arrested by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this month in Revere, Massachusetts, and held in detention.
Who is Bruna and what’s her connection to Leavitt?
Bruna had reportedly been in a relationship with Karoline Leavitt‘s brother Michael and was said to be engaged to him. The couple share an 11-year-old son.
Why was Bruna detained?
Bruna, who entered the US on a B2 tourist visa, was required to depart from the country by June 6, 1999, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told NBC News. She has been accused of overstaying her visa.
Bruna came to the US with her family as a child and was once also arrested on suspicion of battery. The result of the case was not immediately clear, but no charges against her could be located in Massachusetts’ online court records, according to the New York Post.
What has the Leavitt family said?
Karoline, who is the US’ youngest White House Press Secretary at 28, told New Hampshire station WMUR that she had no comment on Bruna’s arrest. It has also been reported that Karoline and Bruna have not spoken to each other in several years.
Karoline’s brother Michael, however, told the outlet that his only concern remains the safety, well-being, and privacy of his son, who was born in the US and has resided with him since birth.
Where is Bruna now and what’s the status of her case?
Bruna is currently detained in an ICE facility in South Louisiana and awaits removal proceedings. Her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, has contested her arrest, saying she “maintained her legal status” under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“She’s in the process of actually getting her green card and she was abruptly arrested and taken from her young child right before Thanksgiving,” Pomerleau said, according to WCVB.
A relative of Bruna has also set up a GoFundMe page to help with the legal costs of her case.