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.
