In brief
Bruna Ferreira was arrested by ICE while on her way to pick up her son in New Hampshire. With a long-standing residence in Massachusetts and ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Ferreira is now free on a $1,500 bond while fighting potential deportation. Her attorney argued that she poses no threat or flight risk, a claim the government accepted without contest. Ferreira, who came to the U.S. as a toddler, was applying for a green card.
CONCORD, N.H. — A Brazilian woman with familial ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will be released from ICE custody while she fights potential deportation, an immigration judge ruled on Monday. Bruna Ferreira, 33, a long-term resident of Massachusetts, was engaged to Leavitt's brother, and was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while driving to pick up their 11-year-old son in New Hampshire on November 12. Following her arrest, she was moved to a detention facility in Louisiana, where her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, successfully argued for her release on a $1,500 bond. Pomerleau stated that Ferreira does not pose a danger or flight risk, a claim that the government accepted without challenging. Previously, the Department of Homeland Security referred to Ferreira as a 'criminal illegal alien' due to an arrest for battery, which Pomerleau denies. Neither the White House nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to inquiries about the case. Ferreira, who arrived in the U.S. as a toddler, was enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and is in the process of applying for a green card. Leavitt, who grew up in New Hampshire, previously ran for Congress in 2022 before taking on a role as a spokesperson for Donald Trump's campaign and later the administration.
