Brazilian mother tied to Leavitt family detained by ICE, later released on bond
Dec 8, 2025·Location: Revere, MA
Country of origin: Brazil

Bruna Ferreira, a Brazilian woman who arrived in the U.S. in 1998 at age six and previously held DACA protection, was arrested by ICE agents on November 12, 2025, in Massachusetts while driving to pick up her 11-year-old son from school. Ferreira shares custody of her son with her former fiancé Michael Leavitt, brother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. She has no criminal convictions, and her brother, sister and son are U.S. citizens. She was held for 26 days across multiple facilities, including the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana, before an immigration judge granted her release on a $1,500 bond on December 8 after DHS attorneys did not challenge her release. She remains in removal proceedings with mandatory periodic check-ins with ICE.
Timeline
Sources
- The Hill
- Bruna Ferreira, the former sister-in-law of the White House press secretary detained by ICE: ‘I never wanted to be an international news story’
english.elpais.com·Jun 8, 2026·archived copy
- Mom of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew released from ICE detention
independent.co.uk·Dec 8, 2025·archived copy
- Relative of White House press secretary granted bond after ICE arrest
Seattle Times·Dec 8, 2025
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