(NewsNation) — A woman with family ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has been taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, sources confirmed to NewsNation.
Bruna Caroline Ferreria, the mother of Leavitt’s nephew, has been in the United States since 1999, originally on a tourist visa from Brazil.
She was arrested near Boston earlier this month and is currently being held at an ICE processing facility in Louisiana, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.
Ferreria’s attorney, Todd Pomerlau, told NewsNation his client has Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, status, no criminal record and was arrested illegally by ICE. A Homeland Security official contended that Ferreria was previously arrested for battery.
“This individual is the mother of Karoline’s nephew, and they have not spoken in many years,” a White House spokesperson told NewsNation.
Leavitt’s nephew has lived with his father — Leavitt’s brother, Michael — since he was born, the spokesperson said.
Pomerlau said Ferreria and Leavitt’s brother share custody of their son, and she sees him multiple times a week.