ICE detains relative of White House Press Secretary in visa-overstay case
TOI GLOBAL DESK | TOI GLOBAL | Nov 27, 2025, 01:58 IST
ICE detains relative of White House Press Secretary in visa-overstay case
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has apprehended Bruna Caroline Ferreira, the mother of the nephew of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, after she was accused of a visa overstay. She is at present in an ICE detention facility in Louisiana. Her lawyer states that she was protected under DACA and denies any involvement in a criminal history. The incident sheds light on the conflicts among administration policies regarding strict immigration enforcement.
TL;DR
Bruna Caroline Ferreira, mother of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, was arrested in Massachusetts for overstaying a B-2 visa from 1999. She is currently in an ICE detention centre in Louisiana awaiting removal proceedings. Her lawyer challenges the criminality allegations and states that she was seeking residency through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
During the time when the Trump administration was vigorously implementing immigration enforcement measures, a federal immigration raid resulted in the arrest of Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a woman with close family ties to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Bruna is the mother of the press secretary's nephew. According to the authorities, Ferreira had overstayed her tourist visa, hence, she is going to be deported.
What Happened: Who, Where, When, Why
According to the information that NBC News got from local sources, ICE officials took Ferreira into custody in Revere, Massachusetts, at the beginning of the month. She was reportedly on her way to pick up her son who is 11 years old at the time of the arrest. The government opposes her and, as per their accusation, she was in the US on a B-2 tourist visa which, according to them, expired in June 1999.
A Department of Homeland Security representative insulted Bruna by calling her a "criminal illegal alien from Brazil" and said that the battery arrest is the main reason for her removal.
After her arrest, she was transferred to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, where she is currently detained in jail and waiting for a deportation hearing.
Family Context and Legal Dispute
Ferreira's son, according to the public broadcaster WBUR, has never lived with his mother, and the two families have not had contact for years. The child lives with his father, Michael Leavitt - the brother of Karoline Leavitt.
In the lawsuit, Todd Pomerleau, attorney for Ferreira, refuted the claim that she had a criminal record. He claimed that she was granted a shielded status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Besides that, he pointed out that she was applying for permanent residency at the time of her arrest.
The family of the woman has set up a legal fund through which they promise to support her court battle. They affirm that she has made a good, law-abiding life in the U.S. for the last several decades.
Broader Significance and Policy Context
The case of Bruna Caroline Ferreira comes as the Trump administration has implemented a wide-ranging escalation of immigration enforcement. The policies currently in force, promoted by the DHS and supported by Karoline Leavitt in her public statements, have resulted that law enforcement officers can arrest aliens without any criminal records who overstayed their visas.
Ms. Ferreira's arrest is considered the most typical case illustrating the administration's illiberal approach to visa overstays and unauthorized residence by both sides of the fence. As a result, the influence of the information that the detained individual is a relative of a senior official has been more than two times. Certain people even go so far as to describe this as "Shakespearean irony," the family of a press secretary of the top administration being the one in the situation of a deportation case.
What Comes Next
Ferreira is among those kept in detention pending her removal hearing. Her legal counsel has communicated that they will seek a judicial review of the matter and also maintain no evidence has been falsified to implicate a prior criminal record. The larger legal and humanitarian issues of this detention could become the subject of the public conversation on the administration's enforcement of immigration policies.
FAQs
Bruna Caroline Ferreira, mother of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, was arrested in Massachusetts for overstaying a B-2 visa from 1999. She is currently in an ICE detention centre in Louisiana awaiting removal proceedings. Her lawyer challenges the criminality allegations and states that she was seeking residency through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
During the time when the Trump administration was vigorously implementing immigration enforcement measures, a federal immigration raid resulted in the arrest of Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a woman with close family ties to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Bruna is the mother of the press secretary's nephew. According to the authorities, Ferreira had overstayed her tourist visa, hence, she is going to be deported.
What Happened: Who, Where, When, Why
According to the information that NBC News got from local sources, ICE officials took Ferreira into custody in Revere, Massachusetts, at the beginning of the month. She was reportedly on her way to pick up her son who is 11 years old at the time of the arrest. The government opposes her and, as per their accusation, she was in the US on a B-2 tourist visa which, according to them, expired in June 1999.
A Department of Homeland Security representative insulted Bruna by calling her a "criminal illegal alien from Brazil" and said that the battery arrest is the main reason for her removal.
After her arrest, she was transferred to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, where she is currently detained in jail and waiting for a deportation hearing.
Family Context and Legal Dispute
Ferreira's son, according to the public broadcaster WBUR, has never lived with his mother, and the two families have not had contact for years. The child lives with his father, Michael Leavitt - the brother of Karoline Leavitt.
In the lawsuit, Todd Pomerleau, attorney for Ferreira, refuted the claim that she had a criminal record. He claimed that she was granted a shielded status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Besides that, he pointed out that she was applying for permanent residency at the time of her arrest.
The family of the woman has set up a legal fund through which they promise to support her court battle. They affirm that she has made a good, law-abiding life in the U.S. for the last several decades.
Broader Significance and Policy Context
The case of Bruna Caroline Ferreira comes as the Trump administration has implemented a wide-ranging escalation of immigration enforcement. The policies currently in force, promoted by the DHS and supported by Karoline Leavitt in her public statements, have resulted that law enforcement officers can arrest aliens without any criminal records who overstayed their visas.
Ms. Ferreira's arrest is considered the most typical case illustrating the administration's illiberal approach to visa overstays and unauthorized residence by both sides of the fence. As a result, the influence of the information that the detained individual is a relative of a senior official has been more than two times. Certain people even go so far as to describe this as "Shakespearean irony," the family of a press secretary of the top administration being the one in the situation of a deportation case.
What Comes Next
Ferreira is among those kept in detention pending her removal hearing. Her legal counsel has communicated that they will seek a judicial review of the matter and also maintain no evidence has been falsified to implicate a prior criminal record. The larger legal and humanitarian issues of this detention could become the subject of the public conversation on the administration's enforcement of immigration policies.
FAQs
- What is her current situation?She's being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and will be detained in Brazil under removal proceedings.
- How about her kid?Her son is with his father, Michael Leavitt, in New Hampshire, and, as per the sources, he hasn't had any contact with his mother for the last several years.