The mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, Bruna Caroline Ferreira, was ordered released from immigration detention on Monday, her attorney confirmed.
An immigration judge set a minimum bond of $1,500 for Ferreira, who is in the process of obtaining a green card and previously held DACA status. Attorney Todd Pomerleau argued at the hearing that Ferreira is neither a “criminal illegal alien,” as described by the Department of Homeland Security, nor a flight risk. Ferreira is expected to be released on Monday or Tuesday.
Ferreira, a Brazilian national, was detained at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center. DHS had previously described her as having a prior battery arrest and overstaying a visa that expired in 1999. Pomerleau disputed those claims, stating that Ferreira has no criminal record and entered the country lawfully. He added that she was arrested in her car in Massachusetts without a warrant and now faces litigation in Louisiana, far from her home.
Pomerleau also said that Ferreira’s familial connection to Karoline Leavitt is coincidental and unlikely to influence her case.