By Cordy Brown,
November 26, 2025
Bruna Ferreira with her son Michael Leavitt Jr. in happier times
In a case highlighting the intensifying immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have detained Bruna Ferreira, a Brazilian woman who has lived in the United States for nearly three decades and shares a family connection to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. The abrupt arrest, which occurred several weeks ago in Revere, Massachusetts, has left Ferreira's 11-year-old son in emotional turmoil and sparked a fundraising effort to cover her mounting legal fees.
Throwback: Bruna Ferreira and Michael Leavitt with their newborn son in 2014
Ferreira, 38, first arrived in the U.S. in 1998 as a child alongside her family on a B-2 tourist visa. She later qualified for protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and was actively pursuing permanent residency at the time of her detention. Now held at an ICE facility in southern Louisiana, Ferreira faces potential deportation.
Her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, insists she has no criminal record. DHS claims she has a prior arrest for battery and is subject to removal under the Trump administration’s policy that “all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation.”
The detained woman is the mother of Michael Leavitt Jr., the 11-year-old nephew of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. The boy has not spoken to his mother since her arrest and hopes she will be home for the holidays.
Family GoFundMe page seeking help for Bruna’s legal defense
A GoFundMe campaign titled “Support Bruna’s Fight to Stay Home” describes her as a devoted mother who has followed every DACA requirement and has called the U.S. home for almost her entire life.
As the holidays approach, the case underscores the human impact of the administration’s aggressive deportation push.