Camilla Jessen
White House distances itself from ICE case.
A detention case involving a woman connected to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has placed new attention on the Trump administration’s expansive immigration crackdown.
The arrest of Bruna Ferreira, mother of Leavitt’s 11-year-old nephew, has become a flashpoint as enforcement sweeps continue across the country.
The White House has now acknowledged the family link while insisting the press secretary played no role.
Long-running visa issue
Ferreira came to the United States from Brazil in 1998 on a tourist visa that later expired.
She is being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and faces possible removal to Brazil, according to officials.
DHS stated she previously had an arrest for battery and reiterated that, under current policy, anyone living in the country without legal status is subject to deportation.
A White House official confirmed the family connection to WBUR but stressed Leavitt had “no involvement whatsoever in this matter.”
ICE told reporters Ferreira was taken into custody earlier this month in Massachusetts.
Family dynamics
Ferreira was once in a relationship with Michael Leavitt, the press secretary’s brother. They share an 11-year-old son, Michael Jr., who has lived full-time with his father in New Hampshire since birth. An administration source told Daily Beat that Ferreira has had little or no contact with him for years.
Michael Leavitt said his “only concern has always been the safety, wellbeing, and privacy” of his son as the case unfolds.
The situation entered the public sphere after Ferreira’s sister launched a GoFundMe, describing the family’s distress.
She said Ferreira previously participated in DACA and “always strived to do the right thing,” adding that her detention has been particularly painful for her son ahead of the holidays.
NBC News has reported that deportation data is not consistently released, but the agency told Congress last year it had identified roughly 435,000 undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions living in the U.S.
Sources: WBUR, Daily Beat, NBC News
