The “criminal illegal alien” mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew has been detained by federal immigration officials in Massachusetts.

Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a Brazilian native, was taken into custody earlier this month in Revere, Mass., near Boston, after overstaying a tourist visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Ferreira is a “criminal illegal alien” who had a previous arrest on suspicion of battery, a DHS spokesperson told NBC News.

Bruna Ferreira with her son before she was arrested by ICE in November 2025. Bruna Ferreira / Facebook
It is not clear how the case was resolved and The Post could not independently confirm the alleged charge. The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“She entered the US on a B2 tourist visa that required her to depart the US by June 6, 1999,” the spokesperson told NBC.

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

Ferreira shares an 11-year-old son with Leavitt’s older brother, Michael. The couple were previously engaged and have joint custody, according to her attorney, Todd Pomerleau.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Nov. 20, 2025. REUTERS
Ferreira was arrested while driving to pick up her son from New Hampshire, where he lives with his father, Pomerleau told CNN.

Karoline Leavitt, the country’s youngest White House press secretary at 28, doesn’t have a relationship with Ferreira, and the two women had not spoken in many years, a source told WMUR.

Michael Leavitt, his wife and kids greet President Trump in the Oval Office during a trip to the White House. Mike Leavitt/ Facebook

Ferreira is being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center as she awaits removal proceedings. Bruna Ferreira / Facebook
Michael Leavitt, for his part, said Ferreira has maintained a relationship with her son but that the boy had lived with him since birth.

“The only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of my son,” Michael Leavitt told the local outlet.

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Ferreira’s attorney insisted in a statement to The Post that his client has no criminal record.

“We dispute that she has any criminal record,” Pomerleau said.

Ferreira’s lawyer contested her arrest, saying she came to the US under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and has been working on getting legal status. Bruna Ferreira / Facebook
Pomerleau also said that Ferreira “maintained her legal status” under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“She’s in the process of actually getting her green card and she was abruptly arrested and taken from her young child right before Thanksgiving,” he told WCVB.

Ferreira’s son hasn’t spoken to his mother since her arrest, the lawyer added.

Karoline Leavitt with her brother Michael in 2016. Mike Leavitt / Facebook
“I’m just trying to fight to get her out of jail. She should not be sitting in a jail hours away from her family and from her child’s life. She’s a great mom, and from what I heard, I think he’s been a pretty good dad,” he said.

“His mother is locked up in Louisiana, where she should have never been in the first place,” Pomerleau said of Michael Leavitt and Ferreira’s son.

Since taking office, Trump and his team have organized a “mass deportation campaign,” which includes a push for people illegally in the country to “self-deport” as well as major law enforcement operations involving ICE, the Border Patrol and the National Guard in cities and towns across the US.

Karoline Leavitt with her son Niko in the White House press briefing room on Nov. 25, 2025. Getty Images
A relative of Ferreira set up a GoFundMe for her, saying she was brought to the US as a child in 1998 and followed all protocols.

“Since then, she has done everything in her power to build a stable, honest life here. She has maintained her legal status through DACA, followed every requirement, and has always strived to do the right thing,” the fundraiser said.

In 2014, Michael Leavitt won $1 million from a DraftKings daily fantasy football contest. At the time, he was engaged to Ferreira and their son was 8 months old. The young family posed for pictures on a giant novelty check provided by the gambling site.

“I need the lights fixed on the back of my car,” Ferreira told the North Andover, Mass., Eagle-Tribune at the time. “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.”

Michael Leavitt did not respond to a request for comment.