White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's relative detained by ICE, faces deportation
PTC News Desk: The Immigration and Customs Enforcement have detained relative of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Bruna Caroline Ferreira, the mother of Leavitt's 11-year-old nephew has been detained and is facing deportation to Brazil.
Bruna is the former partner of Michael Leavitt, the press secretary's New Hampshire-based brother. The couple had a son before they split. According to the sources, Bruna and Karoline have not spoken for several years.
"The child has lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father since he was born. He has never resided with his mother," the source said.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Bruna Caroline Ferreira is a "criminal illegal alien from Brazil" who overstayed her tourist visa, which expired in June 1999.
"She has a previous arrest for battery... Under President Trump and Secretary (Kristi) Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the US are subject to deportation," the DHS spokesperson said. The White House press secretary has, however, declined to comment on the matter.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said that Bruna Caroline Ferreira is a “criminal illegal immigrant from Brazil” who stayed in the US even after her tourist visa expired in June 1999. Meanwhile, her sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise $30,000 to help her fight deportation. So far, more than $14,000 has been collected.
Bruna’s lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, said she came to the US legally under the DACA program and was in the process of getting a green card. DACA protects immigrants who were brought to the US as children from being deported.
- With inputs from agencies
