ICE Detainee Bruna Ferreira’s Close Ties to Karoline Leav...

By Billal Rahman

Immigration Reporter

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Bruna Caroline Ferreira, the mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, who was detained by immigration agents, remains "extremely proud of Karoline," her attorney told Newsweek.

Ferreira, a Brazilian national who traveled to the U.S. legally with her family as a young child, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while she went to pick up her son from school on November 12, her attorney Todd Pomerleau said.

Ferreira maintains close ties with Leavitt’s family, the lawyer added.

"Karoline's dad was with my client a few weeks before her detention at an event at Michael Jr's school. I think it was a football game they were there together," Pomerleau told Newsweek in an interview on November 28. "I don't know if Karoline was at that one. Karoline's definitely been at family events, over the years."

Newsweek has reached out to the White House for comment.

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"Actually kind of ironic," Pomerleau said. "She said she was extremely proud of Karoline because Bruna is a single mother. Bruna owns two businesses. She's an entrepreneur, and she thought it was remarkable that at her age, Karoline Levitt rose to the level of professionalism and popularity that she has. She's the press secretary of the United States. Only one person has that title in the world, and that's a really big deal."

Pomerleau said Ferreira chose Karoline Leavitt as the godmother of her son, Michael Jr., and had attended school and family events with Leavitt’s father as recently as a few weeks before her detention. He also described cooperative co-parenting between Ferreira and the child’s father, Michael Sr., Leavitt’s brother, and said Ferreira “speaks very highly” of Michael Sr.’s wife, calling her “basically like a stepmom.” The description conflicts with the White House’s portrayal of the two women as long estranged.

A source familiar with the matter told Newsweek on November 26 that Ferreira and Leavitt have not spoken in many years, adding that the 11-year-old boy has lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father since birth and has never resided with his mother.

The attorney’s account presents a starkly different picture, emphasizing ongoing family contact and positive relations. The child’s father has also told local media that his son maintains a relationship with his mother, though he does indeed live with him full-time.

"She doesn't have any bad blood with any of the Leavitts. She wasn't in any battle with the Leavitts. This isn't a War of the Roses," Pomerleau said, adding: "She was engaged to one of them, and it didn't work out like countless other relationships in the world. They were two young people. They loved each other. They had a child together. They were engaged, and then their relationship just ended like so many others."

Michael Leavitt previously made headlines in 2014 when he won $1 million in a DraftKings fantasy sports contest, according to The North Andover Eagle-Tribune. At the time, the newspaper noted that Michael Leavitt and Ferreira were engaged and their son was eight months old.

“My only concern has always been the safety, wellbeing, and privacy of my son," Leavitt told WBUR.

Karoline Leavitt, a 28-year-old New Hampshire native, rose to prominence as one of Donald Trump’s top communicators and defenders. She began her career with a 2016 internship at Fox News before joining the communications office during Trump’s first term. When Trump returned to the White House in January, Leavitt became the youngest press secretary in U.S. history.

The arrest comes amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on migration. The Trump administration has taken drastic steps to block access to the asylum process, while ICE has increased arrests and removals. Karoline Leavitt has previously said in a press briefing in January that anyone living in the country illegally is considered a "criminal." The federal government has pulled together resources from several agencies to fulfill Trump's pledge of mass deportation. Under the mass crackdown, nonviolent migrants without legal status, DACA recipients, and green card holders have been swept up in the immigration raids.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek on November 26 that ICE arrested Ferreira, adding that she previously had an arrest for battery.

"We can't find any proof of it anywhere. And I said, Show me the proof. The client disputes it, and the family disputes it. They said she's never been arrested once in her life, except for two weeks ago when she was on route to pick up Michael Jr. after school, and he was left wondering where his mom was," Pomerleau added.

Ferreira entered the U.S. on a B-2 tourist visa that required her to leave by June 6, 1999, DHS said. She is currently being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and is in removal proceedings, a spokesperson for the agency said.

Ferreira previously held DACA status, which required applicants to have no disqualifying criminal history, Pomerleau said.

Her status lapsed amid years of litigation after the Trump administration attempted to end the program, affecting tens of thousands of recipients, her attorney said. During that period, renewal applications were accepted but often left unprocessed, her attorney explained.

As her DACA expired, Ferreira began pursuing a green card, a process she has continued since, Pomerleau said, adding: "People coming on visas are eventually, depending on various circumstances of their lives, they're able to do what's called an adjustment of status.

"You can adjust status to that of a lawful permanent resident, which is what a green card holder is. That's the process right now that Bruna is going through, which has taken years. It's not her fault. It's just this complicated immigration process with so much delay. She started it before the pandemic, and it's still dragging."

Ferreira’s sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover legal expenses as the family fights the ICE case and seeks to keep her in the United States.

"Anyone who knows Bruna knows the kind of person she is. She is hardworking, kind, and always the first to offer help when someone needs it. Whether it’s supporting family, friends, or even strangers, Bruna has a heart that puts others before herself," Dos Santos Rodrigues wrote in a post.

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