Topline
A woman who is the mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew has been detained by immigration authorities as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented migrants, multiple outlets reported on Tuesday night.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks at a White House press briefing room in Washington DC.
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Key Facts
Bruna Caroline Ferreira was arrested near Boston this month and has been taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, WBUR reported on Tuesday.
The woman’s attorney told CNN that Ferreira is the mother of Leavitt’s nephew, but the two have not spoken in several years.
Ferreira’s son has been living with his father—the press secretary’s brother Michael Leavitt—in New Hampshire since his birth.
Ferreira migrated with her family to the U.S. from Brazil as a child and was a beneficiary of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which granted temporary protection to undocumented individuals brought to the U.S. as children, the reports said.
But a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson claimed Ferreira was in the U.S. illegally, as she had overstayed her tourist visa, which expired in 1999, and said she has a “previous arrest for battery,” although it’s unclear if she was convicted.
What Have Leavitt And Her Brother Said?
The press secretary has not publicly commented on Ferreira’s arrest. Her brother told WBUR, “My only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of my son.”