Karoline Leavitt Stayed Silent as Trump Admin Branded Her Own Family Member a ‘Criminal Illegal Alien’

Washington D.C.–Bruna Ferreira, a 33-year-old Brazilian mother and DACA recipient, was arrested by federal immigration agents on November 12 while driving to pick up her 11-year-old son from school in Massachusetts.

Now detained in an ICE facility in Louisiana—hundreds of miles from her home—Ferreira’s case has drawn national attention not just for its familiarity in the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation campaign, but for her direct family ties to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

The father of Ferreira’s child is Leavitt’s brother, Michael, placing the administration’s top spokesperson at the center of a politically charged family drama.

Ferreira’s arrest unfolded in dramatic fashion: Federal officers surrounded her vehicle en route to her son’s school, detaining her without prior warning. She has since been transferred to the Jena/LaSalle ICE facility, separated from her community and support network. Her legal team describes the incident as emblematic of a broader “random and cruel mass deportation campaign” that has targeted immigrants with legal protections, conducted warrantless searches, and accelerated removals without full due process.

Attorney Jeffrey Rubin, whose firm represents Ferreira, highlighted the irony, “She’s somebody that has generated publicity because of her relationship to somebody who is part of the inner circle of the White House, but at the end of the day, she’s just one of many thousands and thousands of people that are getting this treatment on a daily basis in this administration.” Rubin called the administration’s rhetoric “outrageous and abhorrent,” accusing officials of “turning the law on its head.”

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Immigration Status and Path to Legality Interrupted

Ferreira arrived in the U.S. as a young child in 1998, brought by her parents from Brazil when she was about 6 years old. Her two younger siblings were born as U.S. citizens. She secured temporary relief through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, established under President Obama to protect undocumented immigrants brought to the country as minors. At the time of her arrest, Ferreira was actively pursuing a green card, positioning her on a potential path to permanent residency.

Her situation mirrors that of over 20 other DACA recipients arrested or detained since January, according to the advocacy group Home Is Here.

The Trump administration has moved aggressively to dismantle DACA’s framework: New applications have been frozen since 2017, when the first Trump term attempted—and failed—to terminate the program entirely. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin recently reiterated that “DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country,” signaling a policy shift toward stricter enforcement.

Immigration policy expert Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, noted a “strong bipartisan consensus that people like her should have a path to stay.” Yet, under the current administration, such pathways have been effectively blocked, leaving recipients like Ferreira vulnerable to removal proceedings.

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Family Ties to the White House and Fractured Relations

Ferreira was once engaged to Michael Leavitt, Karoline Leavitt’s brother. The couple shares custody of their 11-year-old son, who resides primarily with Michael and his current wife in New Hampshire.

The relationship ended more than a decade ago, shortly after Michael won $1 million in a DraftKings contest—a windfall that briefly eased financial pressures. In a 2014 interview with The Cullman Times, Ferreira reflected on their stability: “I need the lights fixed on the back of my car… And we need a lamp for my son’s room. Other than that we don’t really need much. We have our health. We have a nice condo. We really are blessed.”

Tensions resurfaced after Ferreira’s arrest. Her sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, launched a GoFundMe campaign for legal fees, portraying Bruna as “hardworking, kind, and always the first to offer help.”

Dos Santos Rodrigues told the Boston Globe that Michael Leavitt and his father, Bob, urged Ferreira to “self-deport,” framing it as a “vacation” to Brazil—a country where Ferreira, now 33, barely speaks the language. “Brazil is not her home,” she emphasized.

Karoline Leavitt, who has publicly shared photos of her nephew including one of him meeting President Trump at the White House has not contacted Ferreira’s family since the Trump administration detained and branded Ferreira a “criminal illegal alien,” according to Dos Santos Rodrigues.

“If she were to help in any way… she would have reached out by now,” the sister said. “I understand the policies and how it looks. But I also think when it comes to family, you put certain things aside. I don’t care who you work for.”

Michael Leavitt, in a statement to reporters, focused solely on his son, “My only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of my son.”

Trump’s Administration’s Response: ‘Criminal Illegal Alien’

Homeland Security has labeled Ferreira a “criminal illegal alien,” accusing her of battery and overstaying a tourist visa that expired in 1999—when she was just 7 years old.

Her attorneys have found “nothing” to substantiate the battery claim and argue the visa overstay allegation ignores her DACA status and green card application. A department spokesperson defended the action: “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation.”

Rubin dismissed these characterizations as “rhetoric,” pointing to a pattern of heightened enforcement that has swept up long-term residents. Ferreira’s team is seeking an urgent bond hearing in immigration court to secure her release.

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Ferreira’s case unfolds against a shifting legal landscape. This week, a federal judge in California struck down a Trump administration policy mandating that most immigrants who entered without authorization remain detained throughout removal proceedings. The ruling could pave the way for thousands of detainees—including potentially Ferreira—to be released on bond while their cases proceed.

Ferreira’s detention shows the human cost of the administration’s immigration crackdown, which has deported tens of thousands and revoked protections for vulnerable groups.

For Leavitt, a fierce defender of Trump’s agenda in briefings, the episode tests the boundaries between policy and family. Her silence has amplified accusations of hypocrisy, with critics questioning whether personal connections can coexist with uncompromising enforcement.