Family Ties and Legal Challenges
A relative of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has found herself in the center of a legal controversy, as federal immigration officials detained her in Massachusetts. The individual in question is Bruna Caroline Ferreira, who is described as an illegal alien from Brazil. According to a report by NBC News, Ferreira was taken into custody in Revere, Mass., after allegedly overstaying her tourist visa that expired in June 1999.
Ferreira shares an 11-year-old son with Leavitt’s brother, Michael. This connection has sparked interest and concern among those following the story. 
Michael Leavitt, the youngest White House press secretary at 28, has not seen Ferreira in several years. “The only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of my son,” he told WMUR. A source close to the situation explained 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 and has never resided with his mother.
Legal Proceedings and Claims
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Ferreira entered the U.S. on a B2 tourist visa that required her to depart by June 6, 1999. She is currently at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and is in removal proceedings. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation.
Ferreira’s lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, contested her arrest, claiming she maintained her legal status under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. He stated that she was working on obtaining legal status. “She’s in the process of actually getting her green card and she was abruptly arrested and taken from her young child right before Thanksgiving,” Pomerleau said, according to WCVB.
Pomerleau emphasized that Ferreira has no criminal record. “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.” No battery charges against Ferreira could be located in Massachusetts’ online court records.
Advocacy and Public Response
Ferreira’s son hasn’t talked to his mother since her arrest, according to Pomerleau. “I’m just trying to fight to get her out of jail. She should not be sitting in a jail hours away from her family and from her child’s life. She’s a great mom, and from what I heard, I think he’s been a pretty good dad,” he said.
The attorney also supported Michael Leavitt’s stance, saying the boy should be left out of his mother’s legal troubles. “His mother is locked up in Louisiana, where she should have never been in the first place,” Pomerleau said.
Deportation Campaign and Personal Struggles
Since taking office, the Trump administration has organized a “mass deportation campaign,” which includes a push for people illegally in the country to “self-deport” as well as major law enforcement operations involving ICE, Border Patrol, and the National Guard in cities and towns across the U.S.
Ferreira’s relative set up a GoFundMe for her, stating she was brought to the U.S. as a child in 1998 and followed all protocols. “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,” the fundraiser said.
Michael Leavitt won $1 million from a Draft Kings fantasy football contest in 2014 when he was engaged to Ferreira and their son was 8 months old. “I need the lights fixed on the back of my car,” Ferreira told the Culman Times. “And we need a lamp for my son’s room. Other than that we don’t really need much. We have our health. We have a nice condo. We really are blessed.”
The couple has been separated for about 10 years.
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