Written By Lexx Thornton
The mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, an incident that has immediately drawn national attention and highlighted the intensely personal stakes of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies.
Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a Brazilian national who has lived in the United States since she was a child, was taken into custody earlier this month in Massachusetts and is currently being held at an ICE processing center in Louisiana, facing removal proceedings.
The detention of Ferreira, who shares an 11-year-old son with Press Secretary Leavitt’s brother, Michael Leavitt, has created a politically charged intersection between the administration’s hardline immigration stance and the personal lives of its senior staff.
- Administration Stance: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been a staunch public defender of the administration’s ramped-up enforcement operations, frequently referring to undocumented immigrants as “illegal criminals” and stating that all individuals unlawfully present in the U.S. are subject to deportation.
- The Detention: According to her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, Ferreira was arrested on November 12 while driving to pick up her son from school. Pomerleau has denied any criminal history for his client and stated she was in the process of applying for a green card.
- DHS Claims: A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson confirmed the arrest, labeling Ferreira a “criminal illegal alien from Brazil” who overstayed a tourist visa that expired in June 1999. The spokesperson also alleged a previous arrest for battery, though court records of any such charge and its resolution have not been immediately available.
Ferreira’s attorney and family have painted a picture of a long-term resident trying to regularize her status.
- DACA Recipient: Ferreira, who arrived in the U.S. with her family as a child, was reportedly protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an Obama-era policy for immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. Her attorney asserts she was actively seeking permanent residency.
- Family Reaction: Ferreira’s family has publicly launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for her legal defense, emphasizing that she is a hardworking small business owner and a devoted mother who has done “everything in her power to build a stable, honest life here.”
In response to the news, a source familiar with the situation stated that the Press Secretary and Ferreira have not spoken in years and that the child resides full-time with his father. Michael Leavitt has publicly stated that his “only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of my son.”
The incident has become a focal point for critics of the administration’s policies, illustrating that the aggressive immigration crackdown reaches into the lives of individuals with deep community and even political ties to the United States.
