Immigration agents have arrested Bruna Caroline Ferreira outside her condominium in Revere, Massachusetts. The 33-year-old Brazilian national is the mother of the 11-year-old nephew of Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary.
Video from November 12 shows unmarked vehicles surrounding Ferreira’s car as she attempted to leave her complex. Agents wearing masks exited the vehicles, ordered her out without showing a warrant, and detained her — reportedly without resistance. She was transferred to a detention center in Louisiana and is now facing removal proceedings.
Authorities say Ferreira entered the United States on a B-2 tourist visa that expired in 1999. They also cite a previous battery arrest in classifying her as a “criminal illegal alien.” Her attorney disputes any valid criminal record and maintains she was working toward a green card.
Although Leavitt’s brother, the boy’s father, said the child has lived with him since birth, Ferreira’s family insists she remained an active part of the child’s life. Her detention comes as scrutiny grows over the impact of aggressive immigration enforcement on families — especially those connected, however incidentally, to high-profile officials.