The Conversation (0)
Politics
Liam O'Dell
15s
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt may have found herself in an awkward situation, as it’s been reported that Bruna Ferreira, the mother of her nephew, has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to multiple media reports, Ferreira was detained in Revere, Massachusetts. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson says she is at the South Louisiana ICE processing center pending removal.
A GoFundMe has been set up by Ferreira’s family, with an archived version of the webpage giving the amount raised at just before 9:30am on Wednesday as being just over $15.8k.
It has now surpassed its $30k target, with more than $32k at the time of writing.
Writing on the fundraiser, Ferreira’s brother Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues says: “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 [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals], followed every requirement, and has always strived to do the right thing.
“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.”
In comments issued to indy100, the DHS described Ferreira as “a criminal illegal alien from Brazil” who they say “has a previous arrest for battery”.
“She entered the U.S. on a B2 tourist visa that required her to depart the U.S. by June 6, 1999. She is currently at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and is in removal proceedings.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation,” they said.
Local news outlet WBUR reports it could not locate any battery charges against Ferreira in Massachusetts’ online court records, with her lawyer Todd Pomerleau telling the publication he is unaware of any charges faced by his client.
He said: “They're labeling her a criminal because of some charge that I've never seen, that I don't think exists. I mean, show me it.
" My understanding is she was never served any type of warrant to detain her. I don't even know if they knew necessarily who she was. We're going to get to the bottom of that.”
The whole situation has seen social media users point out the “irony”, given Leavitt’s position as press secretary:
With podcaster Ed Krassenstein writing that Leavitt “should be ashamed of herself”:
A source familiar with the story said Ferreira and Leavitt “have not spoken in many years” and that the press secretary’s nephew has never resided with his mother, instead living with his father full-time in New Hampshire since his birth.
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