In a development that has garnered significant attention, a woman with direct family connections to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt finds herself in the custody of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Bruna Ferreira was apprehended in Revere, Massachusetts, and is currently detained at an ICE facility in southern Louisiana.
Ferreira shares an 11-year-old son with Michael Leavitt, the brother of the press secretary. The boy, named Michael Leavitt Junior, honors his father’s name and has been a point of connection between the families.
Having arrived in the United States as a child, Ferreira and her family immigrated from Brazil. Her legal representation emphasizes that she was protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program since 1998 and was actively working toward obtaining residency.
Michael Leavitt has publicly stated that the young boy resides full-time with him and his wife, though the child has maintained a relationship with Ferreira, his biological mother.
Her lawyer said she had arrived in 1998 under the federally protected DACA program and was in the process of getting her residency.
Michael said in a statement the 11-year-old boy lives with he and his wife full-time, but has always maintained a relationship with his biological mother.
He told WBUR his ‘only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of [his] son.’
Michael said the little boy has not had an opportunity to speak with his mom since she was first detained by ICE ‘several weeks ago.’
A source familiar with the family dynamic told WCVB that Leavitt has not spoken with her nephew’s mother in many years.
Bruna Ferreira was taken into custody in Revere, Massachusetts , and is currently being held at an ICE facility in southern Louisiana . She has an 11-year-old son with Leavitt’s brother, Michael Leavitt
A woman with close family ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has been arrested by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers
Ferreira’s devastated family said: ‘Bruna’s absence has been especially painful for her 11-year-old son, Michael Leavitt Junior, who needs his mother and hopes every single day that she’ll be home in time for the holidays’
‘This individual is the mother of Karoline’s nephew and they have not spoken in many years,’ the insider said.
‘The child has lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father since he was born. He has never resided with his mother.’
A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said Ferreira is a ‘criminal illegal alien’ who ‘has a previous arrest for battery.
‘She entered the U.S. on a B2 tourist visa that required her to depart the U.S. by June 6, 1999,’ the spokeswoman said.
‘Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation.’
Todd Pomerleau, an attorney representing Ferreira, said she was totally blindsided by her arrest.
‘Bruna has no criminal record whatsoever,’ Pomerleau said.
‘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.
‘She’s in the process of actually getting her residency and she was abruptly arrested and taken from her young child right before Thanksgiving.’
Ferreira’s devastated family have shared details of her ordeal in a GoFundMe seeking donations to cover her legal expenses.
They wrote: ‘My family is going through one of the most difficult moments of our lives, and we’re reaching out with a humble plea for help.
‘My sister, Bruna, was recently detained by immigration and is now fighting to stay in the country she has called home for nearly her entire life.’
Michael said the 11-year-old boy lives with he and his wife full-time, but has always maintained a relationship with his biological mother. He also has a brother (pictured together with President Trump)
The little boy has not had an opportunity to speak with his mom since she was first detained by ICE ‘several weeks ago’
Little Michael Leavitt Junior has lived full time with his father, Michael Leavitt (pictured) and his wife, Kara (pictured)
The family argued that Ferreira was brought to the United States in 1998 on a visa, and has since 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,’ they wrote.
‘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.
‘Bruna’s absence has been especially painful for her 11-year-old son, Michael Leavitt Junior, who needs his mother and hopes every single day that she’ll be home in time for the holidays.’
The startling revelation about Leavitt’s family connection comes hours after a new poll from Daily Mail/JL Partners revealed Americans have an increasingly negative view of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s hawkish operations.
The agency has only a 34 percent approval rating – a four point drop from October.
Forty-five percent of the 1,246 registered voters surveyed online disapprove of the agency.
The results come after podcaster Joe Rogan, who gave an 11th hour endorsement of Trump in the 2024 election, reupped his criticism of the ICE raids this month.
‘You got ICE raids, where they’re taking people that are American citizens and they’re scaring the s*** out of everybody,’ Rogan said in his November 18 episode with fellow podcaster Theo Von – both who attended Trump’s second inauguration.
