标签： Asia

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained Bruna Ferreira, the mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, according to multiple media reports. The 33-year-old Brazilian national was taken into custody in Revere, Massachusetts, earlier this month and is currently held at an ICE facility in Louisiana. The exact date of her detention remains unclear, though initial reports suggest it occurred in early November. Ferreira was initially transferred to a women’s prison in Vermont before being moved to South Louisiana. She is now facing removal proceedings due to allegations that her family overstayed a tourist visa that expired in 1999, as confirmed by Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin. Ferreira, who arrived in the U.S. as a child in 1998, has an 11-year-old son with Michael Leavitt, Karoline’s brother. The couple was engaged in 2014 but later separated, and they currently share custody of the child. Ferreira’s sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, revealed that Ferreira was detained while en route to pick up her son from school in New Hampshire. Ferreira had previously benefited from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary protection from deportation and work authorization, but was unable to renew her legal status. Her attorneys are reportedly seeking permanent residence for her. Karoline Leavitt, a prominent advocate of the Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies, has not publicly commented on the matter. Dos Santos Rodrigues expressed disappointment, stating that Leavitt has not reached out to offer assistance, despite their familial ties. She also criticized suggestions from Michael Leavitt and his father that Ferreira should self-deport, emphasizing that Brazil is not her home. The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to requests for comment.

Since October 2023, Israel has enacted over 30 laws that deepen systemic apartheid and repression against Palestinians, according to a new report by the legal center Adalah. These laws, passed between October 7, 2023, and July 27, 2025, target a wide range of political and civil rights, including freedom of expression, protest, citizenship, family life, equality, and the rights of detainees and prisoners. Adalah asserts that these measures fundamentally violate Palestinian human rights. The report highlights several legislative trends, including the expanded use of counterterrorism laws, which are disproportionately applied to Palestinian citizens of Israel and residents of occupied East Jerusalem. The vague definitions of ‘terrorist act’ and ‘terror organisation’ in the 2016 Counter-Terrorism Law have become tools to suppress Palestinian freedom of expression. Another trend involves channeling state resources to Jewish Israeli reservists, explicitly excluding Palestinian citizens from benefits such as tax relief, welfare, higher education, and employment support. The report also notes the institutionalization of temporary emergency measures, which have been repeatedly renewed or made permanent, enabling widespread violations of detainees’ rights and punitive conditions for Palestinian prisoners. Adalah links these laws to Israel’s constitutional framework, which prioritizes ‘Jewish ethno-national supremacy,’ as reflected in the 2018 ‘Nation State’ Basic Law. The government’s guiding principles, adopted in December 2022, assert exclusive Jewish rights over all areas between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. The report examines five key themes: denial of freedom of expression, thought, criticism, and protest; denial of citizenship, family life, and community ties; systematic denial of fair trial guarantees and assaults on prisoners’ rights; denial of social rights and deepening inequalities in resource allocation; and the termination of UNRWA operations in occupied Palestine. Laws criminalize the consumption of media produced by designated ‘terrorist organizations,’ ban statements denying the events of October 7, 2023, and allow the education ministry to dismiss teachers and defund schools for alleged support of terrorism. Foreign nationals can be barred from entering Israel for critical speech or appeals to international courts, and critical media broadcasts may be restricted on claims of ‘harm to state security.’ Palestinian lawyer Amal Orabi argues that these laws aim to ‘silence and suppress’ Palestinian citizens of Israel, preventing them from participating in global discourse or exposing violations. Adalah has documented a total of 100 discriminatory laws, which criminalize political expression, authorize deportations of Palestinian families, block family unification, permit the dismissal of Palestinian teachers, revoke social welfare benefits for families of children convicted of ‘security offences,’ expand detention powers, restrict access to legal counsel, and close independent media outlets. Miriam Azem, Adalah’s international advocacy coordinator, states that these laws ‘overwhelmingly and systematically’ target Palestinians, using counterterrorism and security frameworks as a proxy. She notes that the legislative campaign against Palestinians shows no signs of slowing, with multiple bills advanced in the current parliamentary session, including the death penalty bill and the extension of the offence of consuming ‘terrorist publications.’

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng emphasized the potential for China and the US to transcend their differences and forge a new era of friendly cooperation during his video keynote speech at the 2025 Kuliang Forum in New York on November 25, 2025. Ambassador Xie underscored the importance of people-to-people ties, societal foundations, youth engagement, and subnational exchanges as the cornerstone of the bilateral relationship. He highlighted the historical significance of Kuliang, a century-old site in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, where American families once resided, and noted the recent efforts by their descendants to reconnect with their heritage. Events like the Bond with Kuliang: 2025 China-US Youth Choir Festival and the Kuliang Forum have revitalized this shared history, symbolizing the enduring bonds between the two nations. Xie stressed that despite differences in history, culture, and development paths, both countries share a common pursuit of friendship. He called for adherence to the principles of non-conflict and non-confrontation, urging China and the US to uphold their responsibilities as major global powers. Xie also emphasized the need for collaboration on international issues, including counter-terrorism and global governance, particularly as both nations prepare to host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and the G20 summit in 2026. He concluded by advocating for mutual support and concrete actions to benefit both countries and the world at large.