In brief
Bruna Ferreira, aged 33, has been detained in ICE custody since November 12 after being arrested while picking up her son from school. Ferreira, a DACA recipient, has been fighting to stabilize her immigration status. Her attorney asserts that she poses no threat and is being wrongfully held amid claims of an unverified criminal record. The case highlights ongoing tensions around immigration policy and the treatment of individuals under DACA.
Bruna Ferreira, a 33-year-old woman from Massachusetts, remains in ICE custody after being arrested on November 12 while heading to collect her son from school. Her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, criticized the circumstances of her detention, likening it to an unconstitutional 'merry-go-round' involving multiple states.Ferreira, who originally moved to the U.S. from Brazil when she was very young, has shared custody of her son with her former fiancé, Michael Leavitt, who is the brother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Her legal representative claims Ferreira is a business owner and a tax-paying member of society, asserting that she is neither dangerous nor a flight risk.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states that Ferreira entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 1999 and that she has a prior allegation of battery. However, her attorney has denied these claims, asserting that no proof of such a record exists. An online search did not find any relevant court records regarding the alleged charge.As Ferreira remains in custody in Louisiana, the tensions surrounding U.S. immigration policy come to the fore, especially for people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which is intended to protect children brought into the country illegally. A recent statement from DHS underlines that being a DACA recipient does not guarantee protection from deportation, raising concerns for many individuals in similar situations.
