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In a recent development reflecting the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration enforcement, a relative of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been detained by immigration authorities. Reports from multiple news outlets, including CNN and NBC News, confirm the arrest.
The detained individual, identified as Bruna Caroline Ferreira, is reportedly the mother of Leavitt’s nephew. Ferreira, a Brazilian national, was apprehended in Revere, Massachusetts, earlier this month by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as detailed by these reports.
According to a source familiar with the situation, Leavitt’s nephew has been residing in New Hampshire with his father, Michael Leavitt, since birth. Meanwhile, it is reported that Karoline Leavitt and Ferreira have not maintained contact for several years.
A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informed NBC News that Ferreira is considered a “criminal illegal alien from Brazil” who remained in the U.S. after her tourist visa expired in June 1999. Additionally, the spokesperson noted Ferreira has a prior arrest related to battery charges, though the outcome of that case is not specified.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told NBC News that Ferreira is a “criminal illegal alien from Brazil” who overstayed a tourist visa that expired in June 1999. The spokesperson said Ferreira has a prior arrest on suspicion of battery, though it remains unclear how that case was resolved.
Ferreira is currently being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center while officials pursue her removal from the country, DHS said.
The administration has repeatedly emphasized its broadened approach to immigration enforcement.
ICE currently has about 6,500 deportation officers, and it is aggressively looking to beef up those numbers. Acting Director Todd Lyons says he wants to hire an additional 10,000 by year’s end.
Since Trump re-entered the White House in January 2025, ICE has markedly ramped up its enforcement operations nationwide. Internal agency data shows arrests surged well beyond levels under the previous administration. More than 100,000 people had been detained by ICE by mid-summer.
Enforcement flights, deportations and domestic transfers have also climbed sharply to a record high: between January and October 2025, more than 10,000 immigration-enforcement flights were logged.
Critics note the majority of those detained under the intensified crackdown lack criminal records or serious charges. Data reviewed by civil-rights groups shows a steep increase in arrests of noncitizens without criminal histories, calling into question a central administration pledge that its deportation efforts would focus on violent or dangerous offenders.
