The mother of White House press secretary Caroline Levitt’s nephew has been granted bail from ICE custody amid conflicting claims about her relationship with the immigrant.
Published December 9, 2025
A Brazilian-born woman with family ties to White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt will be released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after she contested her possible deportation, her lawyer announced.
Bruna Ferreira, a longtime Massachusetts resident, was granted $1,500 bail on Monday by an immigration judge at the Louisiana Detention Center. Ferreira was arrested by ICE agents last month while driving to pick up her 11-year-old son in New Hampshire. She was previously engaged to Leavitt’s brother Michael.
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“We argued that she was not dangerous or a flight risk,” her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, said in a text message, adding, “The government agreed with our argument and never asserted that she was a criminal illegal alien or waived her appeal.”
The White House has tried to distance Mr. Levitt from the case, saying in a statement that Mr. Ferreira has not spoken to the press secretary “in years.” Trump administration officials have provided no evidence for the claims about Ferreira’s history.
However, court filings, family photos and previous reports indicate that Ferreira lived with her son and had joint custody with Michael Leavitt. In an interview with The Washington Post, Ferreira said he chose Caroline Leavitt to be his son’s godmother.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said in an email that Ferreira was a “criminal illegal alien” who was being held on suspicion of assault, a claim Pomerleau denies. DHS also said Ferreira entered the United States in 1999 on a B2 tourist visa, which requires exit.
“She will undergo periodic mandatory checks with ICE law enforcement to ensure compliance with the terms of her release,” the DHS spokesperson added.
Trump administration officials described Ferreira as an absentee parent who “never lived with her son.” Officials say the child has lived full-time with Michael Leavitt in New Hampshire since birth.
Ms. Ferreira said it was “offensive” and untrue that the White House characterized her as someone who has never lived with children.
According to the North Andover Eagle Tribune, Ferreira and Michael Leavitt got engaged in 2014 when their son, Mike Jr., was 8 months old.
Mr. Pomerleau disputed these explanations and argued that his client had joint custody. He said Ferreira came to the United States as a toddler and later enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects people who were brought to the United States without authorization as children from deportation. He said the 33-year-old maintains legal status under DACA and is currently seeking a green card.
Efforts to end DACA during former President Donald Trump’s first term were blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Caroline Leavitt declined to comment for this story. The current press secretary rose to fame as President Donald Trump’s press secretary during the 2024 presidential campaign and currently serves as a key member of the White House. She has become one of the leading advocates for the government’s aggressive crackdown on illegal immigrants and has publicly supported toughening ICE.
