A woman with family ties to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was detained by ICE earlier this month near Boston.
As reported by CNN, Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a Brazil native and the mother of Leavitt's nephew, was arrested near Boston on November 12.
Leavitt's nephew has been living in New Hampshire with his father, Leavitt's brother Michael, since he was born, a source familiar with the situation told the outlet.
Ferreira and the White House press secretary have not spoken in many years, the source noted.
A rep with the Department of Homeland Security revealed that Ferreira has overstayed in the US, as her tourist visa required her to leave the country in June 1999, and she is currently in the US illegally.
She "has a previous arrest for battery" and is currently in removal proceedings, the spokesperson said.
Ferreira's attorney, Todd Pomerleau, said she was a former recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which grants temporary protection from deportation for those brought to the US as children.
She was unable to renew her status a few years ago during President Donald Trump's efforts to end the programme during his first administration but is currently in the middle of a "lawful immigration process" for US citizenship, Pomerleau said.
Ferreira was arrested while driving to pick up her son from New Hampshire, as she and Michael Leavitt, who were previously engaged, have joint custody over their 11-year-old son.
Michael Leavitt told WMUR Ferreira has maintained a relationship with their son, but the boy has not spoken to her since her detention.
A GoFundMe page, verified by Ferreira's lawyer, has been created by her sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, for legal fees and expenses. As of Wednesday morning, more than $15,000 has been raised.
"Bruna was brought to the United States by our parents in December of 1998, when she was just a child … Since then, she has done everything in her power to build a stable, honest life here," Ferreira's sister wrote in the GoFundMe campaign.
She said Ferreira has "maintained her legal status through DACA."
President Donald Trump tried to end DACA during his first term, but the Supreme Court ruled his administration had not taken the proper steps to do so.
