Federal immigration officers detained a woman connected to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s family.
The arrest, which unfolded quietly in Massachusetts before shifting to a detention center in southern Louisiana, hit close to home for Leavitt as immigration enforcement has ramped up around the country.
Authorities confirmed that Bruna Ferreira, who shares an 11-year-old son with Leavitt’s brother Michael, was taken into custody in Revere, Massachusetts.
Officials transferred her to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, where she is now in removal proceedings.
🚨BREAKING: Karoline Leavitt’s SISTER in law has been CAPTURED by ICE. pic.twitter.com/i0Cm4PCxr3
— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) November 26, 2025
Michael Leavitt said his son lives with him and his wife full time. He noted that the child has remained in contact with his mother over the years, but added that communication stopped after she was detained by ICE weeks ago.
“[My] only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of my son,” he said, adding that the boy had not spoken with Ferreira since ICE took her into custody.
Ferreira, originally from Brazil, arrived in the United States as a young child. Her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, said she entered the country in 1998 and was covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. He added that she had been pursuing residency before her arrest.
Pomerleau described the arrest as abrupt, saying, “She’s in the process of actually getting her residency and she was abruptly arrested and taken from her young child right before Thanksgiving.”
The attorney insisted she had arrived legally as part of a family entry and argued that her status should have protected her from detention.
A source familiar with the matter said Karoline Leavitt has not had contact with Ferreira for years.
“This individual is the mother of Karoline’s nephew and they have not spoken in many years,” the source told WCVB.
“The child has lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father since he was born. He has never resided with his mother.”
Homeland Security, however, portrayed the case differently. “ICE arrested Bruna Caroline Ferreria, a criminal illegal alien from Brazil. She has a previous arrest for battery. She entered the U.S. on a B2 tourist visa that required her to depart the U.S. by June 6, 1999,” a spokesperson said.
“She is currently at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and is in removal proceedings,” the statement continued.
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“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation.”
Pomerleau was adamant the claim about a prior battery arrest was untrue.
“Bruna has no criminal record whatsoever. I don’t know where that is coming from,” he claimed. “Show us the proof. There’s no charges out there. She’s not a criminal illegal alien.”
While Karoline Leavitt did not address the situation involving her nephew’s mother, she did speak publicly on Tuesday about a separate media storm surrounding FBI Director Kash Patel.
Speculation has circulated for weeks about whether the president is considering removing Patel amid controversy over his relationship with country singer Alexis Wilkins and the swirl of headlines about his conduct.
Reports have described a series of incidents involving Patel since his appointment, including allegations that he used a government aircraft to attend Wilkins’ performances and assigned elite tactical agents to watch over her during travel and events.
According to MS NOW, which cited unnamed sources, Trump and senior advisers had become irritated by stories portraying the FBI director as distracted and overly focused on his girlfriend.
The New York Times reported that Patel ordered a SWAT team from the Atlanta field office to follow Wilkins during the NRA’s annual conference in April.
The agents reportedly left early after determining she faced no danger, prompting Patel to criticize the commander for abandoning their post and calling their departure a breakdown in command structure.
The Times also said Patel had occasionally instructed highly trained personnel from Nashville and Salt Lake City to provide Wilkins with protection.
Former FBI senior agent Christopher O’Leary told MS NOW, “There is no legitimate justification for this. This is a clear abuse of position and misuse of government resources. She is not his spouse, does not live in the same house or even the same city.”
Behind the scenes, several officials have said the president has considered replacing Patel with top FBI official Andrew Bailey.
Bailey, a former Missouri attorney general appointed co-deputy director earlier this year, could become acting director on December 15 without Senate involvement if he meets the required time in the role.
This story is completely made up.
In fact, when this Fake News published, I was in the Oval Office, where President Trump was meeting with his law enforcement team, including FBI Director Kash Patel.
I read the headline to the President and he laughed. He said: “What? That’s… https://t.co/qbsy0nW2Bg pic.twitter.com/aNL5Qw9MA8
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) November 25, 2025
Leavitt pushed back at reports claiming Patel was on thin ice, calling the coverage inaccurate.
She posted a photo taken in the Oval Office and said the two were together when the article was published.
Leavitt wrote that Trump saw the story and laughed at the time. “What? That’s totally false,” he reportedly remarked.
“Come on Kash, let’s take a picture to show them you’re doing a great job!”
A spokesperson for MS NOW defended its work, saying the outlet stands by the reporting and maintains that Patel is facing mounting pressure, with potential changes in the coming weeks.
