A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Scripps News that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested Burna Caroline Ferreria, the mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew.
DHS said Ferreria, a Brazilian national, entered the United States on a B-2 tourist visa, which required her to leave the U.S. by June 6, 1999. She was arrested and taken to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, where she will go through deportation proceedings.
Ferreria’s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, told Scripps News that she has no criminal record and that she and Leavitt’s brother have shared custody of their son.
“Our concern right now is getting a single mother out of a nice hellhole in Louisiana. We have no idea why she was detained. She wasn’t given any explanation at all. And you know, her relationship with the press secretary for the White House appears to be happenstance,” he said.
A Trump administration source familiar with the situation said Leavitt and Ferreria have not spoken in years. The White House source disputed the attorney’s claim that Leavitt’s brother and Ferreria share custody of their son.
“The child has lived full time in New Hampshire with his father since he was born. He has never resided with his mother,” the source said.
