Earlier in November 2025, Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a 33-year-old Massachusetts woman, was detained by ICE agents in Revere, Massachusetts while on her way to pick up her 11-year-old son from school. The son’s father is Michael Leavitt — the brother of Karoline Leavitt. Ferreira immigrated from Brazil as a child, and according to her attorney, had lived most of her life in the U.S. under protections from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. After being stopped by ICE she was transported out of Massachusetts and reportedly flown to a detention facility in southern Louisiana, where she remains in custody awaiting removal proceedings.

The arrest immediately attracted media attention because of Ferreira’s family ties to Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, bringing into sharp relief the personal costs of the administration’s broadened immigration enforcement policies. According to reports, Karoline Leavitt and Ferreira have not spoken in years, and Ferreira’s son has lived full time with his father in New Hampshire. Those facts have been emphasized by some close to the White House as a way to distance the Press Secretary from her relative’s detention, but critics argue the case nonetheless underscores how sweeping the crackdown is — affecting individuals even tangentially connected to senior administration officials.

Officially, the authorities say Ferreira was detained because she overstayed a B-2 tourist visa, which had expired in 1999, and because she allegedly had a prior arrest for battery. A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described her as a “criminal illegal alien from Brazil,” claiming these were the grounds for her removal proceedings. In contrast, Ferreira’s lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, rejects these characterizations. He maintains that she has no criminal record and disputes claims of any battery arrest — noting that publicly available court searches show no such conviction. Pomerleau further states that Ferreira had been in the process of applying for permanent residency after previously being covered by DACA, making her detention especially surprising and traumatic.

From the family’s perspective, the impact has been deeply personal and painful. Ferreira’s attorney has described her as “traumatized” by the arrest, particularly after being removed from Massachusetts, transported across several states, and ultimately sent to a distant Louisiana detention center — far from her home, her son, and her support network. Her son, according to his father Michael Leavitt, has not had direct contact with her since the arrest. Additionally, a GoFundMe campaign has reportedly been started by her family to help raise funds for legal expenses and to attempt to secure her release in time for the holidays.

The case has renewed debate over the administration’s aggressive immigration-enforcement agenda. Supporters of the policy emphasize the importance of upholding immigration laws — noting that visa overstays and prior criminal allegations can justify detention and removal, even years after the initial visa expired. Meanwhile, immigration-rights advocates and critics of the arrest argue that Ferreira appears to be a long-established member of her community, likely eligible for residency through prior protections, and that removing someone under these conditions — especially a mother with a child — raises serious humanitarian and ethical concerns. Many also point out the potential damage to family stability and the broader social fallout when detentions affect parents of minors.

As of now, it remains unclear how the case will unfold. Ferreira’s legal team is reportedly preparing a challenge to DHS’s characterization of her as a “criminal illegal alien,” with hopes that lack of evidence for a criminal conviction will strengthen her claim. But under current federal immigration law and the administration’s enforcement posture, visa overstay — even decades old — remains a serious violation that can justify detention. Meanwhile, the personal hardship arising from her arrest — separation from her son, displacement to a distant detention center, and uncertainty over her future — highlights the human cost of strict immigration enforcement under shifting legal frameworks.