U.S. officials have detained an extended family member of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt amid a nationwide crackdown on immigration, NBC News and CNN reported.
Bruna Caroline Ferreira, the mother of Leavitt’s nephew and the former fiancée of her brother Michael Leavitt, was taken into custody in Revere, Mass., on Nov. 12, her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, said.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told NBC News that Ferreira is a “criminal illegal alien from Brazil” who had remained in the U.S. on a tourist visa, which expired in June 1999.
Ferreira has an arrest record for battery, the spokesperson added, without providing further details.
Pomerleau contradicted the DHS spokesperson and told local CNN affiliate, WMUR, that Ferreira “has no criminal record whatsoever” and is not in the country illegally.
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“I don’t know where that is coming from. 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,” he said.
Ferreira has never lived with her son, who, according to sources, lives full-time with his dad and stepmother in New Hampshire. Ferreira and Leavitt have not been in contact for years, reports CNN.
Ferreira’s lawyer told the outlet that she was a former recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which temporarily protects those brought to the U.S. as children from deportation.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts during his first term to end the program meant Ferreira was unable to renew her status. She is currently in the midst of a “lawful immigration process” for U.S. citizenship, Pomerleau said, adding that she is a good mother and that he was “fighting” to get her released from custody.
“She should not be sitting in a jail hours away from her family and from her child’s life. She’s a great mom, and from what I heard, I think he’s been a pretty good dad,” he told WMUR.
Ferreira was detained while driving to pick up her son, according to Pomerleau.
Ferreira’s sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, told the Boston Globe she was “suddenly swarmed” by immigration agents who demanded her name and driver’s licence, but Ferreira did not have any ID.
“They were not the most gentle with her,” she said, describing her sister as “more American than anything else.”
Michael Leavitt told WMUR on Tuesday that his primary concern was the safety and well-being of their son, who he said has not spoken to his mother since she was taken into custody a few weeks ago.
His mother is currently detained at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Ferreira’s sister created a GoFundMe page to cover legal fees and expenses accrued as a result of her arrest. As of Wednesday morning, it had raised over $18,000.
“My family is going through one of the most difficult moments of our lives, and we’re reaching out with a humble plea for help. My sister, Bruna, was recently detained by immigration and is now fighting to stay in the country she has called home for nearly her entire life,” the fundraising description reads.
Ferreira was brought to the U.S. by their parents in 1998 and has always maintained her legal status through DACA, her sister wrote, before describing her as a “hardworking” and “kind” person who puts others before herself.
Karoline Leavitt has not publicly commented on the detainment as of this writing.
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