White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt now has a family connection to the ICE actions sweeping the country — her nephew’s mother was arrested by agents in Revere earlier this month.
Bruna Ferreira, a Boston-area resident who migrated with her family to the U.S. from Brazil as a child, according to her sister and immigration authorities, is now in custody at an ICE facility in Louisiana.
Michael Leavitt, the press secretary’s brother, had a relationship with Ferreira, and the two have a son.
A Trump administration official confirmed the connection between Ferreira, Michael Leavitt and his sister Karoline Leavitt — the 28-year-old New Hampshire native who rose from relative obscurity to occupy one of the most prominent positions in the White House. The official said the child’s parents have not spoken in years, and that the child has lived full-time in New Hampshire with Michael Leavitt since his birth.
WBUR could not immediately confirm whether the boy only lived with his father after the couple separated. The split happened about 10 years ago, according to a family member.
Karoline Leavitt declined to comment on the arrest. The administration official said, “Karoline had no involvement whatsoever in this matter.”
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Ferreira had a “previous arrest for battery.” She entered the U.S. on a tourist visa that required her to leave the U.S. in 1999, McLaughlin said.
“Under President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation,” McLaughlin said.
A lawyer for Ferreira was not immediately available for comment.
No battery charges against Bruna Ferreira could be located in Massachusetts’ online court records.
Michael Leavitt won $1 million in a DraftKings contest in 2014, according to The North Andover Eagle Tribune. At the time, the story said, Leavitt and Ferreira were engaged and their son was 8 months old.
In a statement, Michael Leavitt said, “My only concern has always been the safety, wellbeing, and privacy of my son.”
Ferreira’s sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, started a GoFundMe page to help with legal costs to fight the ICE charges and allow her sister to stay in the country. According to the post, Ferreira has maintained her legal status through a program for people who entered the country as children — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. She has “followed every requirement, and has always strived to do the right thing,” according to the GoFundMe page.
“She is hardworking, kind, and always the first to offer help when someone needs it,” Dos Santos Rodrigues wrote. “Whether it’s supporting family, friends, or even strangers, Bruna has a heart that puts others before herself.”
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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