According to officials, she faces removal proceedings and could be deported back to Brazil. DHS stated that she previously had an arrest for battery and that, under current policy, anyone unlawfully in the country is subject to deportation.
A White House official confirmed the family connection to WBUR but emphasized that Leavitt had “no involvement whatsoever in this matter.”
Launched a fundraiser
One administration source told Daily Beat that Ferreira hasn’t been in contact with Leavitt’s brother Michael for years, and that their son, Michael Jr., has lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father since birth.
Michael Leavitt himself stressed that his “only concern has always been the safety, wellbeing, and privacy” of his son.
The case became public after Ferreira’s sister launched a GoFundMe, describing the family’s distress and insisting Ferreira has worked hard to maintain her life in the U.S., including participating in the DACA program.
She argued that Bruna has “always strived to do the right thing” and said her detention has been especially painful for her 11-year-old son, who hopes she will be home for the holidays.
ICE confirmed that Ferreira was taken into custody in Massachusetts earlier this month. While officials maintain she is subject to removal, her family is now trying to raise money for legal representation to fight her deportation.
Although the Trump administration has vowed large-scale deportations, ICE has not consistently made its deportation numbers public, NBC News reports.
In a briefing to Congress last year, the agency said that as of July, it had identified about 435,000 undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions who were still living in the U.S. and not in custody.
