ICE takes mother into custody, public discovers her family connection to the White House.

Bruna Ferreira moved to the United States from Brazil when she was still a child. Over the years, she built a life that looked much like that of many Americans studying in a suburban high school, playing on the tennis team, starting a small business, and raising her son while navigating a marriage that later ended in divorce.

Earlier this month, as she stepped out of her home in a Boston-area suburb to pick up her child from school, she was stopped and taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. At first, her detention drew little attention, appearing to be just another case within President Donald Trumps administration-wide deportation campaign against immigrants without legal status.

However, her arrest soon gained wider notice when it emerged that she had connections to the family of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. During the encounter with officers, Ferreira reportedly stated that her sons aunt was the White House spokesperson. According to her sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, Ferreira had once been engaged to Leavitts brother, Michael Leavitt, who is also the father of her eleven-year-old son.

She was probably saying whatever she thought might help in the moment, Rodrigues said. Sadly, it made no real difference.

The family link to such a high-profile supporter of the deportation initiative has since turned Ferreira into an example of how expansive the governments immigration enforcement efforts have become. Officials have labeled her a criminal illegal alien and referenced a prior battery allegation. Her legal team, however, disputes that depiction, insisting she has no criminal record and previously received protection from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program established during the Obama administration.

Now 33, Ferreira is being held in an ICE detention facility in Louisiana while she awaits further proceedings that could result in her removal from the country. Her engagement to Michael Leavitt ended nearly ten years ago, and a source familiar with the matter says she has had no contact with the White House press secretary in many years.

Ferreiras lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, stated in an interview that despite the estrangement, she is still considered part of the Leavitt family and that Karoline Leavitt is the godmother of Ferreiras son.

According to her sister, Ferreira first arrived in the United States at the age of six on a tourist visa that later expired. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the visa required her departure in 1999. However, her attorney emphasized that a minor cannot be held accountable for such violations, and that by the time Ferreira could legally be considered responsible, she had already obtained DACA protections.

Pomerleau also explained that Ferreira has been trying to secure permanent residency for nearly three decades and is currently partway through the green card application process.

Growing up in the Boston suburbs, Ferreira attended Melrose High School, where she was an active member of the tennis team. She graduated in 2011, leaving behind a yearbook message in Italian that translated to Life is beautiful, along with a prediction that she would be older, wiser, and successful ten years later.

A few months after her graduation, she married one of her former classmates. The relationship ended the following year, and the couple officially divorced in 2014. Around that time, she became engaged to Michael Leavitt, who managed his familys car dealership in New Hampshire and later made headlines for winning a million-dollar fantasy football prize.

A local newspaper article from 2014 showed a smiling Ferreira, Leavitt, and their infant son posing next to an oversized check. When asked how they planned to use the winnings, Ferreira replied that they had simple needs repairing car lights, buying a lamp for her childs room, and otherwise enjoying their good health and stable home life.

Court documents listed her residence at a property in Atkinson, New Hampshire, owned by Leavitt. Photos later posted online showed her spending time with her son, celebrating holidays, and attending his first Boston Red Sox game. The couple never married, and after Ferreira returned to Massachusetts, her son remained living with his father in New Hampshire.

Michael Leavitt confirmed that Ferreira has kept a relationship with their son over the years but said the child has not spoken with her since she was detained. He described the situation as painful and said his primary focus is his sons well-being.

Back in Massachusetts, Ferreira earned a living running a home-cleaning business. Former coworker Lisa Batista, who worked alongside her in a Boston-area nightclub several years ago, remembered her as kind, dedicated, and hardworking. Batista said she was stunned to learn of Ferreiras detention.

Despite living in different states, Ferreira regularly traveled to see her child, cooking Brazilian dishes for him and taking him on outings. According to her sister, the family has received no communication from Karoline Leavitt. She also claimed that Michael Leavitt suggested Ferreira return to Brazil on her own, but the family insists that the United States has always been her true home.

Her son needs his mother, Rodrigues said. He keeps asking when she is coming back whether shell be home for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Pomerleau said that during their recent conversation, Ferreira was in tears. All she wants is to be with her son again, he said.

The story continues to develop as more details emerge.