Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Bruna Caroline Ferreira in Revere, Massachusetts, after determining that she had overstayed a tourist visa that expired more than two decades ago.
According to a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Ferreira entered the United States on a B2 tourist visa that required her to leave the country by June 6, 1999.
Ferreira, identified by DHS as “a criminal illegal alien from Brazil,” has an 11-year-old son with Michael Leavitt, the older brother of former congressional candidate and current Trump administration official Karoline Leavitt.
The child has lived with Michael Leavitt full-time in New Hampshire since birth.
“The only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of my son,” Michael Leavitt told WMUR. Karoline Leavitt declined to comment.
A source familiar with the family said the two women 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,” the source said.
The woman, Bruna Caroline Ferreira, is from Brazil and the mother of Leavitt's nephew. She was arrested near Boston on November 12, according to her attorney, who spoke with CNN. The outlet reports Leavitt's nephew lives full-time in New Hampshire with her brother, Michael.… pic.twitter.com/KmA44IqJvZ
— TMZ (@TMZ) November 26, 2025
DHS confirmed that Ferreira is currently being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and is in removal proceedings.
“She entered the US on a B2 tourist visa that required her to depart the US by June 6, 1999,” DHS told NBC News. “She is currently at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and is in removal proceedings. Under President Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation.”
Ferreira’s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, is disputing the arrest. He said Ferreira “maintained her legal status” under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and was in the process of applying for a green card.
“She’s in the process of actually getting her green card and she was abruptly arrested and taken from her young child right before Thanksgiving,” Pomerleau said.
He also contested DHS’s characterization of Ferreira.
“Bruna has no criminal record whatsoever. I don’t know where that is coming from. Show us the proof. There’s no charges out there. She’s not a criminal illegal alien,” he said.
Records indicate Ferreira had previously been arrested on suspicion of battery, although the outcome of that case is unclear.
No charges appear in the online database of Massachusetts court records.
Pomerleau said Ferreira should not be held far from her family.
“I’m just trying to fight to get her out of jail. She should not be sitting in a jail hours away from her family and from her child’s life. She’s a great mom, and from what I heard, I think he’s been a pretty good dad,” he said.
“His mother is locked up in Louisiana, where she should have never been in the first place.”
The press is going to try to run with this story pushing a lie that a relative of Karoline's was detained for deportation. Don't believe it.
— Kim "Katie" USA (@KimKatieUSA) November 26, 2025
The Real Story
The mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, Bruna Caroline Ferreira, is now in ICE custody… pic.twitter.com/CzsO4Q57Bs
