White House Spokesperson's Family Caught in Immigration Sweep
The Trump administration's stringent immigration enforcement has reached the doorstep of the White House itself. Bruna Ferreira, the mother of a child fathered by the brother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
A Dramatic Arrest in Massachusetts
The arrest unfolded on 12 November 2025 in Revere, Massachusetts. According to reports, Ferreira was leaving her home to collect her son from school when her vehicle was "suddenly swarmed" by ICE agents. Her sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, recounted that the agents demanded identification, which Ferreira did not possess at that moment. Rodrigues expressed that the agents were not gentle and that her sister, who has lived in the US since she was six years old, was likely "terrified and frantic".
Ferreira, 33, who migrated from Brazil as a child, is now being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and is in removal proceedings. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed her arrest, stating she is a "criminal illegal alien from Brazil" with a previous arrest for battery. They emphasised that under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation.
Family Ties and Legal Challenges
Ferreira's connection to the White House stems from her past relationship with Michael Leavitt, the 35-year-old brother of the press secretary. Together, they have an 11-year-old son, Michael Leavitt Jr.. A White House source familiar with the situation sought to distance the family, noting that Leavitt and Ferreira "have not spoken in many years" and that the child has always lived full-time with his father in New Hampshire.
In response to the detention, Ferreira's sister has initiated a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for legal fees, which has already garnered over $16,000. The page states that Ferreira had maintained her legal status through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme and has "followed every requirement." However, a DHS spokesperson clarified to the Associated Press that DACA does not confer legal status or automatic protection from deportation.
Ferreira's attorney, Todd Pomerleau, has indicated that his client was in the middle of a "lawful immigration process" for US citizenship at the time of her arrest. This case brings into sharp focus the complex and often personal ramifications of the administration's immigration policies, demonstrating that even those with connections to the highest levels of government are not immune.
