The family of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew is publicly condemning her for not helping or speaking out after Bruna Ferreira — the boy’s mother with familial ties — was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Bruna Ferreira, a Brazilian national who has lived in the U.S. since childhood and shares an 11‑year‑old son with Karoline Leavitt’s brother, was arrested by ICE in Massachusetts and is being held in a Louisiana detention center pending removal proceedings. Her sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, has criticized Leavitt for failing to reach out or offer any public support — “If she were to help in any way … she would have reached out by now,” she told The Boston Globe.
While a White House‑linked source claimed Ferreira had been estranged from the family and that the child lived full-time with his father, a 2014 article and old family photos show Ferreira once lived with Leavitt’s brother and their son.
Meanwhile, immigration authorities cite a visa overstay and a prior battery arrest as grounds for detention; Ferreira’s legal team disputes the criminal record claim and notes she had previously held protected status under DACA and was in the process of applying for a green card.