Bruna Ferreira, the mother of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, has been detained by US immigration agents in Revere, Massachusetts, as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown. Ferreira, a Boston-area resident, migrated to the United States from Brazil as a child and is currently in custody at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Louisiana. This situation has drawn significant media attention, particularly from the Boston radio station WBUR, which was the first to report on the arrest.
Ferreira, 33, was en route to pick up her 11-year-old son, Michael Leavitt Jr., from school in New Hampshire when she was unexpectedly surrounded by ICE agents. Witness accounts indicate that the agents demanded her name and driver’s license, but Ferreira did not possess an identification card at the time. Her sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, expressed concern about Ferreira’s emotional state during the incident, stating, “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.”
According to sources close to the situation, Ferreira has not communicated with Leavitt in many years, and her son has lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father since birth. A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Ferreira is a “criminal illegal alien from Brazil” with a previous arrest for battery. She entered the US on a B2 tourist visa, which required her to leave the country by June 6, 1999. Ferreira is currently undergoing removal proceedings at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center.
This incident has highlighted the personal connections many Americans have to the current immigration policies enforced under the Trump administration. Leavitt, known for her role as Trump’s press secretary, has expressed her primary concern for her son’s safety and well-being. Ferreira’s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, stated that his client had been arrested on November 12 and was in the midst of a lawful immigration process to obtain US citizenship.
In response to her detention, Ferreira’s sister has initiated a GoFundMe campaign to assist with legal fees associated with the ICE charges and to help her sister remain in the United States. The campaign highlights that Ferreira has maintained her legal status through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects individuals who entered the US as children from deportation. Graziela emphasized that Ferreira has always “followed every requirement” and is a person who consistently puts others before herself.
As of Wednesday morning, the GoFundMe campaign has raised over $16,000. Graziela described Ferreira as “hardworking, kind, and always the first to offer help when someone needs it.” The attention surrounding this case underscores the complexities and human elements of immigration enforcement in the United States, particularly as DACA recipients continue to face challenges amid ongoing immigration policies.
Reports from the Associated Press have indicated that DACA recipients have been increasingly targeted in immigration sweeps, despite the Supreme Court blocking attempts by the Trump administration to terminate the program during its first term. The situation surrounding Ferreira remains fluid, as her family and legal team work to navigate the immigration system on her behalf.