The administration of President Donald Trump has consistently viewed unauthorized immigration as one of the most critical threats facing the United States, driving a relentless push for tougher enforcement actions against anyone residing in the country without legal status. Yet, these stringent, hard-line policies are now manifesting consequences that have struck unnervingly close to the White House’s top leadership.
The situation surrounding Bruna Ferreira—the mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s 11-year-old nephew—has drawn national attention after she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown.
The Case and the Family Connection
Ferreira, who arrived in the U.S. from Brazil as a child in 1998 on a tourist visa that subsequently expired, is currently being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center. According to federal officials, she faces removal proceedings and is at risk of deportation back to Brazil. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that she previously had an arrest for battery and that, under current policy directives, any individual unlawfully present in the country is subject to deportation.
Ferreira was previously in a relationship with Michael Leavitt, the brother of the White House Press Secretary, and the two share an 11-year-old son, Michael Leavitt Jr. A White House official confirmed the family connection to WBUR but was quick to emphasize that Karoline Leavitt had “no involvement whatsoever in this matter.”
An administration source, speaking to the Daily Beast, underscored the distance in the relationship, noting that Ferreira has not been in contact with Michael Leavitt for years. Furthermore, their son, Michael Jr., has reportedly lived full-time with his father in New Hampshire since birth. Michael Leavitt himself stressed that his “only concern has always been the safety, wellbeing, and privacy” of his son.
Fighting Removal and Raising Awareness
The case became publicly known after Ferreira’s sister launched a GoFundMe campaign, detailing the family’s distress and pleading for assistance. The campaign insisted that Ferreira has worked diligently to maintain her life in the U.S., including actively participating in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Ferreira’s sister argued that Bruna has “always strived to do the right thing” and emphasized that her recent detention has been especially painful for her 11-year-old son, who hopes she will be home for the holidays.
ICE confirmed that Ferreira was taken into custody in Massachusetts earlier this month. While officials maintain that she is subject to removal proceedings, her family is now scrambling to raise funds for legal representation to fight the deportation order.
The Trump administration has consistently vowed large-scale deportations, yet ICE has not consistently made its precise deportation numbers publicly available, according to NBC News. In a briefing provided to Congress last year, the agency stated that as of July, it had identified roughly 435,000 undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions who were still living in the U.S. and were not yet in custody.
The detention of Bruna Ferreira highlights the complicated reality of a policy that, while broad in its intent, is now impacting individuals connected to the highest levels of the U.S. government.
