In a dramatic operation that has sparked controversy, the Brazilian mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's nephew was arrested by US immigration authorities in a scene captured on video.
A Coordinated Arrest in Massachusetts
Bruna Ferreira was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on November 12 in Revere, Massachusetts. The arrest occurred as she attempted to leave her condominium to collect her 11-year-old son, Michael, from school.
Emerging footage shows Ferreira's silver Honda Civic being surrounded and blocked in a parking lot by five unmarked SUVs. Five plainclothes agents exited the vehicles, placed her in handcuffs, and led her away. She has since been held at an ICE Processing Center in Louisiana, separated from her child.
Family Ties and Legal Status
Ferreira shares her son, Michael Jr, with Karoline Leavitt's brother, Michael Leavitt Sr. The boy lives with his father and stepmother, Kara Leavitt, in New Hampshire. In a statement, Michael Sr. confirmed his son lives with him but has maintained a relationship with his biological mother.
According to her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, Ferreira arrived in the US from Brazil as a child in 1998 under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme and was in the process of obtaining legal residency. Pomerleau vehemently disputes the official characterisation of his client.
Contrasting Narratives and a Political Firestorm
The Department of Homeland Security told the Daily Mail that Ferreira is a 'criminal illegal alien' who overstayed a B2 tourist visa and had a previous arrest for battery. A spokesman stated that under the current administration, all individuals unlawfully present are subject to deportation.
Pomerleau counters that Ferreira has no criminal record and called the arrest 'targeted, unconstitutional depravity'. He revealed that Ferreira had chosen Karoline Leavitt to be her son's godmother and that the two women had been together at a soccer game just weeks before the arrest.
The case highlights the complex human stories behind immigration enforcement, intertwining family relationships with stringent federal policy. Ferreira's legal team awaits her day in court as she remains detained over a thousand miles from her son.
