Bruna Caroline Ferreira, mother of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, to be released from ICE custody

WASHINGTON, DC: Bruna Caroline Ferreira, the mother of the 11-year-old nephew of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, is set to be released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after being detained two weeks ago.

She was accused of overstaying a visa and had a prior battery-related arrest, according to DHS.

Judge orders release of Bruna Caroline Ferreira after ICE detention

Ferreira was detained by ICE agents on November 26 in Massachusetts while she was on her way to pick up her son from school.

Even though the Department of Homeland Security labeled her a “criminal illegal alien,” an immigration judge ordered her released on a $1,500 bond from an immigration detention facility in Louisiana on Monday or Tuesday.

According to her attorney, Todd Pomerlea, Ferreira was working toward obtaining her green card. The lawyer noted that he was born in Brazil but was previously permitted to stay in the US under the Obama-era DACA law.

DHS, attorney clash over Bruna Caroline Ferreira’s criminal history

According to a DHS spokesperson, Ferreira had a criminal record that included an arrest for battery, along with overstaying a visa that expired in June 1999.

But Pomerlea told ABC that Ferreira “has no criminal record whatsoever” and demanded that DHS “show us proof” of any previous arrests.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Pomerleau said DHS may be referencing Ferreira’s decades-old summons to juvenile court after a tussle with another girl outside a Dunkin’ Donuts.

Pomerleau told the outlet that the girls were reportedly haggling over $8, but Ferreira was never arrested, and the case was dismissed soon after. Previously, Ferreira was engaged to Leavitt’s older brother, Michael Leavitt, and they share joint custody of their 11-year-old son.

Michael told the New Hampshire TV station WMUR that their son has lived with him since birth, but Pomerleau refuted that claim. 

Bruna Caroline Ferreira slams Karoline Leavitt

In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Ferreira said she had considered Leavitt “like a younger sister” and added ruefully, “I made a mistake there, in trusting."

She also disputed the narrative being circulated by certain White House–aligned sources that she had been distant from the family for years. Ferreira said that just weeks before her arrest, she attended her son’s recreational football game, cheering him on while standing alongside Leavitt’s parents and brother.

Ferreira added that she had even asked Leavitt to be her son’s godmother over her own sister, saying, “Why they’re creating this narrative is beyond my wildest imagination.”