A woman with family ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has been released on bond from immigration detention after being detained last month amid a nationwide crackdown on immigration.
Bruna Caroline Ferreira, the mother of Leavitt’s nephew and the former fiancée of her brother Michael Leavitt, was taken into custody on Nov. 12 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Revere, Mass., her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, said.
Pomerleau said Tuesday that Ferreira was released on a US$1,500 bond after a judge ordered her release. The government did not contest the bond and declined to appeal the decision.
“We argued forcefully that she was not a danger or flight risk, discussed the numerous forms of relief available to her to receive lawful permanent residency, and that the DHS’ narrative that she was a ‘criminal illegal alien’ was false as a matter of fact and law, as she has never been arrested for any crime. Her only arrest was the unconstitutional ICE charade from November 12,” Pomerleau said in a statement to NBC News.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek that Ferreira will have “periodic mandatory check-ins with ICE law enforcement to ensure she is abiding by the terms of her release.”
“The Department of Homeland Security will continue to work to remove all aliens illegally present in the country as quickly as possible,” a DHS spokesperson added.
Ferreira was detained while driving to pick up her son, according to Pomerleau.
Ferreira’s sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, told the Boston Globe she was “suddenly swarmed” by immigration agents who demanded her name and driver’s licence, but Ferreira did not have any ID.
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“They were not the most gentle with her,” she said, describing her sister as “more American than anything else.”
Pomerleau said Ferreira’s 11-year-old son lives with her former fiancé, Michael Leavitt, 35, in New Hampshire, but they have shared custody and have maintained a co-parenting relationship for many years since their engagement broke off. He said the boy lived with both parents at one point and later split his time between them, spending numerous nights and weekends with his mother.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson previously told NBC News that Ferreira is a “criminal illegal alien from Brazil” who had remained in the U.S. on a tourist visa, which expired in June 1999.
Ferreira has an arrest record for battery, the spokesperson added, without providing further details.
Pomerleau contradicted the DHS spokesperson and told local CNN affiliate WMUR that Ferreira “has no criminal record whatsoever” and is not in the country illegally.
Ferreira’s lawyer told the outlet she was a former recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which temporarily protects those brought to the U.S. as children from deportation.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts during his first term to end the program meant Ferreira was unable to renew her status. She is currently in the midst of a “lawful immigration process” for U.S. citizenship, Pomerleau said, adding that she is a good mother and that he was “fighting” to get her released from custody.
Leavitt has not publicly commented on Ferreira’s arrest but Ferreira has since shared details of their relationship in an interview with the Washington Post published on Sunday.
Ferreira, 33, said she selected Leavitt to be her son’s godmother and claimed she “moved mountains” to ensure her son could attend Leavitt’s wedding in January.
“I asked Karoline to be godmother over my only sister,” she said in a video interview. “I made a mistake there, in trusting.… Why they’re creating this narrative is beyond my wildest imagination.”
Since her arrest, a White House source familiar with the situation issued a statement, stating, “This individual is the mother of Karoline’s nephew and they have not spoken in many years. The child has lived full time in New Hampshire with his father since he was born. He has never resided with his mother.”
Ferreira told the Washington Post she was offended by the remarks and that she sees the Leavitt family frequently while visiting her son.
She also said the White House’s claims that she never lived with her son are “disgusting” and false.
Ferreira went on to share details about her relationship with Leavitt’s brother, Michael. She said they met at a nightclub, “fell in love, got engaged and had a child, living together in New Hampshire.”
They ended their relationship in 2015 instead of marrying and have shared caregiving responsibilities for their son, according to Ferreira.
— With files from Global News’ Rachel Goodman
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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