A judge has ordered the release of Bruna Caroline Ferreira, the mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, following her arrest by federal immigration agents.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Ferreira, a Brazilian national, in Massachusetts as she traveled to pick up her 11-year-old son from school, her attorney Todd Pomerleau said.
She was later transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana. The judge granted her release on bond, set at $1,500. The government did not contest the bond and declined to appeal the decision. Ferreira was released from the detention center on Monday.
Why It Matters
Ferreira was previously engaged to Karoline Leavitt’s brother Michael Leavitt, and they share a son. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cited a past battery arrest and an expired visa as reasons for her detention. Her attorneys say she has no criminal convictions, came to the U.S. as a child and is applying for a green card.
Ferreira’s arrest further spotlights the U.S.’s ramped-up immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump. The administration has implemented measures that restrict access to the asylum process, while ICE has increased arrests and deportations.
In a January press briefing, Karoline Leavitt described all individuals living in the U.S. without legal status as criminals. Federal agencies have coordinated efforts to carry out widespread deportation actions, which have included nonviolent migrants, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, and some green card holders and applicants.
What To Know
“She will have periodic mandatory check-ins with ICE law enforcement to ensure she is abiding by the terms of her release,” a DHS spokesperson said. “The Department of Homeland Security will continue to work to remove all aliens illegally present in the country as quickly as possible.”
Pomerleau said his client arrived in the U.S. as a toddler and later participated in the DACA program, which protects immigrants brought to the country as children. He added that she was in the process of applying for a green card.
Karoline Leavitt, a native of New Hampshire, ran unsuccessfully for Congress in the state in 2022 before serving as a spokesperson for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and later joining his White House team as his top communicator.
“I asked Karoline to be godmother [to Michael Jr.] over my only sister,” Ferreira told The Washington Post. “I made a mistake there, in trusting.”
What People Are Saying
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson previously told Newsweek: “ICE arrested Bruna Caroline Ferreria, a criminal illegal alien from Brazil. She has a previous arrest for battery. She entered the U.S. on a B2 tourist visa that required her to depart the U.S. by June 6, 1999. She is currently at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and is in removal proceedings. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation.”
Todd Pomerleau, Ferreira’s attorney, told Newsweek in an interview on November 28: “Karoline’s dad was with my client a few weeks before her detention at an event at Michael Jr.’s school. I think it was a football game. They were there together.”
What Happens Next
With her release secured, Ferreira awaits further immigration proceedings while complying with periodic mandatory check-ins with ICE, as required under the bond conditions.
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