Karoline Leavitt accused of being unwilling to 'help in any way' after ICE detains nephew's mother

WASHINGTON, DC: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is under tense criticism after relatives accused her of refusing to assist Bruna Ferreira, the mother of her nephew, who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this month. 

Ferreira, 33, originally from Brazil, has lived in the United States since age six. She shares custody of her son with his father, Michael Leavitt Sr, the press secretary's brother. Ferreira said the child splits time between his father's home in New Hampshire and her home in Massachusetts.  

Ferreira's sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, in an interview with the Boston Globe, said Leavitt has gone radio silent on the matter, even after having the family's contact information. 

"If she were to help in any way, if she were willing to do anything to help us, she would have reached out by now. She has my phone number. We've been family for the last 13 years," Dos Santos Rodrigues said. "I understand the policies and how it works, but I also think when it comes to family, you also put certain things aside, I don't care who you work for."  

Bruna Ferreira's family claims Michael Leavitt urged her to self-deport

Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues claims some members of the Leavitt family, including Michael Leavitt, urged Bruna Ferreira to self-deport. "They just kept saying, tell her to self-deport," she told the Boston Globe. "Self deport to where? Brazil is not her home. They're trying to push it off as a vacation. That's not a vacation. Bruna barely speaks the language." 

Michael, who has since remarried, has not addressed the matter as of yet. 

However, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Ferreira "has a previous arrest for battery" and that she overstayed a tourist visa that required her to leave the country in 1999. "Under President Trump and Secretary (Kristi) Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation," she said. 

Details of Bruna Ferreira's arrest 

Bruna Ferreira was reportedly leaving her home in Revere, Massachusetts, to pick up her son when ICE agents surrounded her vehicle. She was then taken to an immigration facility in Louisiana. 

On her arrest, Dos Santos Rodrigues said the agents were "not the most gentle with her," and that Bruna must have been "terrified, frantic" because she is "more American than anything else." 

A GoFundMe created by Dos Santos Rodrigues to support legal fees and the family expenses has raised over $30,000. The fundraiser states that Ferreira "has maintained her legal status through DACA, followed every requirement, and has always strived to do the right thing."