Judge orders ICE release of immigrant with ties to Karoline Leavitt
FILE - The White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks at the White House press briefing room in Washington DC, United States, on December 1, 2025. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A federal judge said on Monday that an immigrant woman with ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt can be released from ICE custody while she fights potential deportation.
The backstory:
Bruna Ferreira, 33, who is originally from Brazil and has been a longtime Massachusetts resident, was driving to pick up her 11-year-old son in New Hampshire when she was arrested by ICE agents in Revere, Massachusetts, on Nov. 12.
The father of her son is Leavitt’s brother, Michael, and is Ferreira’s former fiance.
Ferreira came to the U.S. as a toddler and enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Dig deeper:
DACA is the Obama-era policy that shields immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.
Presently:
Ferreira had been in the process of applying for a green card, her attorney said, and is now fighting potential deportation. She was moved to a detention facility in Louisiana after she was arrested last month.
An immigration judge ruled Monday that she can be released on a $1,500 bond.
READ MORE: Immigrant linked to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt being held in ICE detention
What they're saying:
Ferreira's attorney says he argued she isn’t a danger or flight risk, and the government agreed.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson in an email to The Associated Press Monday called Ferreira a "criminal illegal alien" and said she had been arrested for battery, an allegation her attorney denied.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from a court ruling and statements from the Department of Homeland Security, as obtained by and reported on by The Associated Press. Background information was taken from previous FOX Television Station reporting and The Associated Press. This story was reported from Detroit.