In what began as a standard operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an unexpected connection to a significant figure in the U.S. government has been brought to light.
Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a Brazilian immigrant who has long resided in Massachusetts, found herself arrested this month in Revere and is currently held at an ICE facility in Louisiana.
This case has turned into a political and media storm due to her familial tie to White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. Ferreira is the mother of Leavitt’s nephew, from a previous relationship with Michael Leavitt, the brother of the current presidential press secretary.
Political Ripples from an Arrest
The local outlet WBUR first reported the story, which has sparked mixed reactions given Ferreira's immigration background and her former sister-in-law's prominent role in an administration that has taken a hardline stance on undocumented immigrants.
According to her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, Ferreira was apprehended while driving to pick up her son.
The boy, now 11, primarily resides with his father in New Hampshire, though the official custody arrangement has been contested.
"Claims that my client has no relationship or custody over her son are false," stated Pomerleau, asserting that "they share custody of their son."
White House spokesperson Leavitt has refrained from commenting on the matter, with a staffer noting that "Karoline had no involvement in this matter."
Michael Leavitt offered a brief public statement: “My sole concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of my son.”
Legal Battles and Immigration Status
Ferreira arrived in the U.S. in 1998 as a child brought by her parents from Brazil. She later benefited from the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which shields those brought without documentation as minors from deportation.
However, Ferreira failed to renew her status during the Trump administration.
Pomerleau insists his client “is currently engaged in a legal immigration process to gain U.S. citizenship.”
Nonetheless, immigration authorities claim she overstayed her tourist visa, which expired in June 1999.
Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, stated bluntly: “Ferreira is an illegal criminal immigrant from Brazil with a previous arrest for assault.”
Pomerleau strongly disputed this: “They are labeling her a criminal for a charge I have never seen, which I believe does not exist,” he said. “Show it to me.”
“She is not a ‘criminal illegal immigrant,’” he emphasized in a CNN interview.
The attorney also described her detention as unlawful, questioning the lack of basic procedural guarantees.
“I understand no warrant was ever presented to her. I’m not even sure if they knew who she was. We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” Pomerleau asserted.
Family Ties and Political Distance
The relationship between Ferreira and Michael Leavitt is not new. According to The North Andover Eagle Tribune, the couple was engaged in 2014 and had an 8-month-old child at the time. Michael won a million dollars in a DraftKings contest back then.
However, they have been separated for nearly a decade.
Sources close to the family assert that Karoline Leavitt and Ferreira have not been in contact for years.
“Ferreira and the White House press secretary have not spoken in many years,” said a source familiar with the situation to CNN.
Despite the separation, Ferreira’s sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, maintains that the mother-son relationship remains active and has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal costs.
“She has met every requirement and always strived to do the right thing,” Rodrigues wrote in the appeal.
“She’s hardworking, kind, and always the first to help when someone is in need,” the campaign text adds, which has raised over $22,000 by the time of this report.
The page also states: “Bruna was brought to the United States by our parents in December 1998, as a young child… Since then, she has done everything possible to build a stable and honest life here.”
Harsh Immigration Policies and Distant Detention
Ferreira is held at the ICE South Louisiana Processing Center in Basile, over 1,500 miles from where she was arrested. Her family and lawyer have sharply criticized this move as unnecessarily punitive and disproportionate.
This case is part of a wave of detentions signifying the crackdown on immigration policy under the Trump administration. ICE reported that by November 15, over 65,000 immigrants were in custody, a notable rise since early fall.
The Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security emphasized that DACA recipients “are not automatically shielded from deportations”; adding, “DACA does not confer any legal status in this country.”
Bruna Ferreira’s situation not only highlights the human drama affecting thousands of migrant families in America but also presents a political quandary for the current administration.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, an emerging figure in the Trump movement and staunch advocate of strict immigration policies, now finds herself indirectly linked to a case that underscores the contradictions of the U.S. immigration system.
While her family remains silent publicly, Ferreira’s advocates insist that her case deserves compassionate reconsideration.
“She poses no threat. She is not a criminal. She is a mother, a worker, a woman who has tried to abide by the law,” summarized her attorney.
Understanding the Impact of Current Immigration Policies
How does DACA affect immigrants like Bruna Ferreira?
DACA provides temporary protection from deportation for those brought to the U.S. as minors without documentation. However, it does not grant legal status, and recipients are not automatically protected from deportation, as seen in Ferreira's case.
What are the legal arguments against Ferreira's detention?
Ferreira's lawyer argues that her detention was illegal due to procedural issues, such as not being presented with a warrant. They also dispute the criminal label attached to her by immigration authorities.