In a striking illustration of how the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement reaches into unexpected corners of American life, federal agents have detained the mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, creating a deeply personal connection between the administration’s hardline policies and its own spokesperson’s family.
Bruna Ferreira, a 33-year-old Brazilian immigrant who has lived in the United States since childhood, was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Revere, Massachusetts, on November 12. The arrest has thrust Leavitt, the youngest White House press secretary in American history, into an uncomfortable spotlight as her family becomes entangled in the very immigration crackdown she defends from the podium.
The dramatic detention unfolded as Ferreira was leaving her home to collect her 11-year-old son from school in New Hampshire. According to witness accounts reported by the Boston Globe, ICE agents “suddenly swarmed” her vehicle, demanding identification that she could not provide.
“They were not the most gentle with her,” Ferreira’s sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, told the newspaper, painting a picture of a terrifying encounter for a woman who has called America home for nearly three decades.
“I’m sure my sister was terrified, frantic. She’s been here since she was six years old. She’s more American than she is anything else. I’m sure she tried to just use whatever she could come up with in the moment. However, it didn’t really help very much.”
Ferreira is now held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, more than a thousand miles from her Massachusetts community, as she faces deportation proceedings. Her detention comes despite her protected status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which has traditionally shielded childhood arrivals from removal.
The case highlights the complex web of relationships that immigration enforcement can disrupt. Ferreira shares an 11-year-old son, Michael Leavitt Jr., with the press secretary’s brother, Michael Leavitt, 35. While a White House source emphasized that Leavitt and Ferreira “have not spoken in many years” and that the child lives full-time with his father, the arrest nonetheless creates an unprecedented situation for the administration’s chief spokesperson.
Department of Homeland Security officials defended the detention, with spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stating that Ferreira had overstayed a tourist visa that expired on June 6, 1999, and possessed “a previous arrest for battery.” However, details about this prior arrest and its resolution remain unclear, with no public records immediately available.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation,” McLaughlin declared, underscoring the administration’s broad enforcement mandate.
The arrest represents a significant escalation in immigration enforcement targeting DACA recipients, a group that previously enjoyed relative protection from deportation. Recent Associated Press reporting indicates that DACA beneficiaries have increasingly found themselves swept up in the Trump administration’s expanded immigration operations, despite legal protections that were upheld by the Supreme Court during Trump’s first presidency.
McLaughlin’s recent statements suggest a hardening stance toward DACA recipients, declaring they “are not automatically protected from deportations” and asserting that “DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country.”
Ferreira’s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, told CNN that his client was actively pursuing a “lawful immigration process” for U.S. citizenship when she was detained, suggesting she was attempting to formalize her status through proper legal channels.
The personal impact on Leavitt’s family has been carefully managed through official statements. In comments to Boston radio station WBUR, Michael Leavitt focused solely on his son’s welfare, stating: “My only concern has always been the safety, wellbeing, and privacy of my son.”
Meanwhile, Ferreira’s sister has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support legal efforts to prevent deportation. The GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $16,000, portrays Ferreira as a model community member who has “followed every requirement, and has always strived to do the right thing.”
“She is hardworking, kind, and always the first to offer help when someone needs it,” Dos Santos Rodrigues wrote in the campaign description. “Whether it’s supporting family, friends, or even strangers, Bruna has a heart that puts others before herself.”
The case underscores how the Trump administration’s immigration policies create ripple effects throughout American communities, touching families regardless of their political affiliations or connections to power. For Leavitt, who made history as the 28-year-old press secretary championing these very policies, the detention presents a complex personal and professional challenge.
Leavitt’s rise to prominence began with a Fox News internship in 2016, followed by communications work during Trump’s first term. Her appointment as press secretary in January marked a generational shift in White House communications, making her the youngest person ever to hold the position.
The Leavitt family’s connection to this immigration case traces back over a decade. According to The North Andover Eagle Tribune, Michael Leavitt gained local attention in 2014 when he won $1 million in a DraftKings fantasy sports contest. At that time, he and Ferreira were engaged, and their son was eight months old.
As Ferreira remains in federal custody in Louisiana, her case represents more than just another immigration enforcement action. It exemplifies how the administration’s sweeping policies can create personal dilemmas even for those tasked with defending them, while raising questions about the scope and humanity of current enforcement practices.
The outcome of Ferreira’s case may well serve as a bellwether for how the Trump administration handles DACA recipients and long-term community members, particularly as legal challenges to expanded enforcement continue working through federal courts.
