Mother of White House Press Secretary’s Nephew Detained by ICE
Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a 33-year-old Brazilian immigrant and mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement.
The arrest
Ferreira was apprehended on November 12, 2025, in Revere, Massachusetts, while driving to pick up her 11-year-old son from his father’s home in New Hampshire. According to her sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, Ferreira’s vehicle was “suddenly swarmed” by ICE agents who demanded identification, which she did not have on her at the time.
“They were not the most gentle with her,” Dos Santos Rodrigues told the Boston Globe. “I’m sure my sister was terrified, frantic. She’s been here since she was six years old. She’s more American than she is anything else.”
Ferreira is currently being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, nearly 1,700 miles from her Massachusetts home, where she is undergoing deportation proceedings.
Family connection to the White House
Ferreira shares a son with Michael Leavitt, Karoline Leavitt’s brother. The couple was once engaged; however, their relationship ended approximately a decade ago.
A Trump administration official confirmed the family connection to multiple news outlets, stating that Ferreira “is the mother of Karoline’s nephew, and they have not spoken in many years. The child has lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father since he was born. He has never resided with his mother.”
However, Ferreira’s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, disputes this characterization, telling CNN that the former couple shares joint custody of their son and that Ferreira maintains a relationship with her child.
Ferreira’s legal status brought into question
Government’s Position: A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson labeled Ferreira a “criminal illegal alien from Brazil,” stating that she entered the United States on a B2 tourist visa that required her departure by June 6, 1999. The spokesperson also claimed Ferreira “has a previous arrest for battery.”
Attorney’s Response: Pomerleau vehemently disputes these claims, telling ABC affiliate WCVB, “Bruna has no criminal record whatsoever. I don’t know where that is coming from. Show us the proof. There’s no charges out there. She’s not a criminal, illegal alien.”
WBUR and other news organizations were unable to locate any battery charges against Ferreira in Massachusetts’ online court records.
DACA connection
According to her attorney, Ferreira was previously protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which shields individuals brought to the United States as children from deportation. Pomerleau stated that Ferreira was unable to renew her DACA status several years ago during Trump’s first administration, which attempted to terminate the program—an effort the Supreme Court blocked in 2020 on procedural grounds.
Despite losing DACA protection, Ferreira had been pursuing legal permanent residence. Her attorney told USA Today she was “in the final stages of getting her green card, with the last interview scheduled for the spring.”
The detention comes amid reports that approximately 20 DACA recipients have been arrested or detained by immigration authorities since Trump took office in January 2025. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin recently stated that individuals “who claim to be recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are not automatically protected from deportations. DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country.”
Family’s plea for help
Ferreira’s sister has launched a GoFundMe campaign that has raised more than $18,000 to cover legal expenses. In the fundraiser description, Dos Santos Rodrigues wrote:
“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. She has maintained her legal status through DACA, followed every requirement, and has always strived to do the right thing.”
In an interview with the Boston Globe, Dos Santos Rodrigues criticized Karoline Leavitt for not intervening: “If she were to help in any way, if she were willing to do anything to help us, she would have reached out by now. She has my phone number. We’ve been family for the last 13 years. I understand the policies and how it looks. But I also think when it comes to family, you put certain things aside. I don’t care who you work for.”
More troublingly, Dos Santos Rodrigues alleged that some members of the Leavitt family encouraged her sister to self-deport: “They just kept saying, ‘Tell her to self-deport.’ Self-deport to where? Brazil is not her home. They’re trying to push it off as a vacation. That’s not a vacation. Bruna barely speaks the language.”
Karoline Leavitt, 28, the youngest White House press secretary in history, has declined to comment on the arrest. A White House official stated that “Karoline had no involvement whatsoever in this matter.”
Broader context
The detention exemplifies the far-reaching scope of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. ICE statistics reveal that over two-thirds of approximately 53,000 individuals arrested and detained by the agency as of mid-November had no prior criminal convictions.
Michael Leavitt, who has since remarried, provided a brief statement to WMUR: “My only concern has always been the safety, wellbeing, and privacy of my son.” He confirmed that his son has not had contact with his mother since her arrest two weeks ago.