The mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew is set to be released from immigration detention weeks after she was first taken into custody for deportation proceedings.
Bruna Caroline Ferreira was ordered released from an ICE facility on Monday, Dec. 8, her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, confirmed in a statement. Ferreira was initially arrested in Revere, Mass., a city near Boston, on Nov. 12. She is currently applying for a green card and had been protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, according to ABC News.
Pomerleau said that during a hearing he argued Ferreira is not a “criminal illegal alien” and is not a flight risk. An immigration judge ultimately set her release with a minimum bond of $1,500.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ferreira, who was born in Brazil, is the mother of Leavitt’s 11-year-old nephew, whom she shares with the press secretary’s brother, Michael Leavitt; the two were previously engaged. CNN reported that Ferreira had been driving to pick up her son from Michael’s home in New Hampshire when she was detained.
After news of Ferreira’s detention became public, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed her arrest in a statement and said that her tourist visa had expired in 1999.
The spokesperson also alleged that Ferreira “has a previous arrest for battery.” Boston NPR member station WBUR reported, however, that it was unable to find any criminal charges filed against Ferreira in the state’s online database.
Pomerleau disputed the battery allegation in comments to CNN affiliate WMUR, saying, “Show us the proof. There’s no charges out there. She’s not a criminal, illegal alien, we’re hearing that said about anyone who’s not a U.S. citizen.”
In a GoFundMe created by Ferreira’s sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, to support the family in their fight against deportation, Dos Santos Rodrigues wrote, “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,” she added.
Dos Santos Rodrigues continued, “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.”
Karoline Leavitt has not publicly commented on Ferreira’s arrest. A source said in November that the press secretary and Ferreira have not spoken “in many years.”
In a Nov. 26 interview with The Boston Globe, Dos Santos Rodrigues said Karoline had not attempted to contact their family after Ferreira was detained.
“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,” Dos Santos Rodrigues said. “She has my phone number. We’ve been family for the last 13 years. I understand the policies and how it looks.”
She added, “But I also think when it comes to family, you put certain things aside. I don’t care who you work for.”
