ICE detains Karoline Leavitt’s nephew’s mother, moves toward deportation

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration confirmed on Wednesday (local time) that immigration authorities have detained the mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew and are in the process of being removed from the country, The Hill reported.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Bruna Ferreira, a Brazilian citizen, earlier this month, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson. Officials say Ferreira originally entered the US on a tourist visa that required her to leave by June 1999, and also noted that she “has a previous arrest for battery”, according to The Hill.

“She is currently at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Centre and is in removal proceedings. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation,” the spokesperson said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s ‘criminal illegal alien’ relative detained by ICE https://t.co/i80Ct03dnO pic.twitter.com/szCor8eJBl

— New York Post (@nypost) November 26, 2025

Ferreira has a son with Leavitt’s brother. A source familiar with the situation confirmed that the two have not spoken in years, and that the child lives full-time with Leavitt’s brother in New Hampshire.

The case first surfaced in WBUR reporting, which noted that Ferreira’s sister launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover legal expenses. The fundraising page claims Ferreira arrived in the US as a child in 1998 and has been protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which grants temporary legal status to individuals who were brought into the country illegally as minors, as per The Hill.

Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has sharply intensified its deportation efforts. Officials maintain they are prioritising the removal of the “worst of the worst,” though several enforcement actions have faced legal challenges.

Leavitt, as the White House’s top spokesperson, has been a vocal defender of the administration’s immigration crackdown and its broader push to remove people living in the country illegally. (ANI)