Who is Michael Leavitt? Bruna Caroline Ferreira, Karoline Leavitt’s brother’s former fiancé detained by ICE

Bruna Caroline Ferreira, the former fiancée of Michael Leavitt—brother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt—was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on November 12. Ferreira, who shares an 11-year-old son, Michael Leavitt Jr., with Michael, had overstayed her visa after arriving in the United States from Brazil in 1998.

The 33-year-old Ferreira, a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, was detained in Revere, Massachusetts, while on her way to her son’s school. According to her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, she was moved between Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Louisiana. “She wasn’t told why she was detained. She was bounced from Massachusetts, to New Hampshire, to Vermont, to Louisiana on this unconstitutional merry-go-round,” he said.

Pomerleau further defended Ferreira, saying, “She was detained for no reason at all. She’s not dangerous. She’s not a flight risk. She’s not a criminal illegal alien. She’s a business owner who pays taxes and has a child who was wondering where mommy was after school two weeks ago. … They’re claiming she has some type of criminal record we’ve seen nowhere. Show us the proof. She would’ve been deported years ago if that was true. And yet, here she is in the middle of this immigration imbroglio.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched by Ferreira’s sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, to assist with legal fees. Graziela wrote, “Bruna was brought to the United States by our parents in December of 1998, when she was just a child, entering on a visa. Since then, she has done everything in her power to build a stable, honest life here. She has maintained her legal status through DACA, followed every requirement, and has always strived to do the right thing.”

She added, “Bruna’s absence has been especially painful for her 11-year-old son, Michael Leavitt Junior, who needs his mother and hopes every single day that she’ll be home in time for the holidays.” As of now, the fundraiser has raised slightly above its $30,000 goal.

While Michael Leavitt and his son have reportedly reached out to the family, Karoline Leavitt has not made contact, according to Graziela. NBC News reported that Ferreira is currently considered a “criminal illegal alien” on suspicion of battery and is in removal proceedings in southern Louisiana.