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According to the Washington Post, Judge Cynthia Goodman ordered Bruna released on minimum bail. His lawyers said the government unfairly described him as a “criminal illegal immigrant” and that the description was false.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Bruna was detained in Revere, Massachusetts, and transferred to the ICE processing center in southern Louisiana. The agency says she entered the United States on a B2 tourist visa, which required her to leave the country by June 6, 1999, and that she had previously been arrested for assault.
One of her lawyers, Todd Pomerleau, said she was previously a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary protection from deportation to people brought to the United States as children. The Brazilian would not have been able to renew her status a few years ago, when Donald Trump tried to end the program during his first administration.
Bruna was arrested while driving to pick up her son in New Hampshire, where the boy lives with his father. She and Michael Leavitt, Karoline’s brother, were engaged and shared custody of their 11-year-old son, the attorney told CNN. According to the American channel, the nephew of the White House press secretary has lived full time with his father since his birth.
At the time of his arrest, Michael Leavitt told WMUR that Bruna had a relationship with his son, although the two had not spoken since their arrest. He described the situation as difficult and said he only wanted the best for the boy. Pomerleau said at the time that he was also concerned about the emotional impact of the arrest.
- Aggressive behavior: The United States is stepping up its crackdown on immigrants by sending federal agents to Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city.
— She should not be in prison, hours away from her family and her son’s life — he said, emphasizing that he considers Bruna “a great mother.”
Trump attempted to end DACA during his first term, but the Supreme Court ruled that his administration did not follow proper procedures in doing so. Some program beneficiaries are among those detained in the current immigration enforcement operation.
In a statement to The Associated Press at the time of Bruna’s arrest, Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said people granted status under the Obama-era program “are not automatically protected from deportation”:
— DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country.
Leavitt, named White House spokesperson by President Trump in November 2024, has not commented publicly on the matter.
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