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Tuesday, Dec 09, 2025
Outside the box.
Immigration Judge Grants Bond to Woman Tied to White House Press Secretary in ICE Case
Bruna Ferreira — mother of the nephew of press secretary Karoline Leavitt — released from detention on $1,500 bond, raising fresh scrutiny over enforcement sweep
A U.S. immigration judge on Monday ordered the release of Bruna Caroline Ferreira — the Brazilian-born mother of the 11-year-old nephew of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt — granting her bond while she contests deportation proceedings.
Ferreira was taken into custody on November 12 in Revere, Massachusetts by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and held in a Louisiana detention facility.
The judge set bond at US$1,500, after government attorneys declined to argue that she posed a flight or public-safety risk.
Authorities had described Ferreira as a “criminal illegal alien,” citing a past battery arrest and an expired tourist visa from 1999. Her lawyer and supporters dispute the claim, noting that the battery case was dismissed when she was a juvenile and that official records show no criminal convictions.
They emphasise her long-standing presence in the United States, her prior protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, and her ongoing application for permanent residency.
Ferreira’s detention had attracted widespread attention because of her indirect connection to the White House.
Press Secretary Leavitt has not publicly commented on the case.
Legal advocates say the episode underscores the breadth of the current administration’s immigration enforcement efforts, which they argue are sweeping up long-residing immigrants and non-citizens with deep family and community ties.
The release on bond does not end Ferreira’s legal challenges.
She remains in removal proceedings and must comply with periodic check-ins with immigration authorities.
Meanwhile, legal observers and immigrant-rights groups are closely watching the case, as it could set precedents for how the administration handles similar cases involving non-citizens with long U.S. residency and family relationships to public-figures.
Legal filings in coming weeks will test how the courts balance immigration enforcement priorities against claims of long-term residence and family disruption.
Ferreira was taken into custody on November 12 in Revere, Massachusetts by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and held in a Louisiana detention facility.
The judge set bond at US$1,500, after government attorneys declined to argue that she posed a flight or public-safety risk.
Authorities had described Ferreira as a “criminal illegal alien,” citing a past battery arrest and an expired tourist visa from 1999. Her lawyer and supporters dispute the claim, noting that the battery case was dismissed when she was a juvenile and that official records show no criminal convictions.
They emphasise her long-standing presence in the United States, her prior protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, and her ongoing application for permanent residency.
Ferreira’s detention had attracted widespread attention because of her indirect connection to the White House.
Press Secretary Leavitt has not publicly commented on the case.
Legal advocates say the episode underscores the breadth of the current administration’s immigration enforcement efforts, which they argue are sweeping up long-residing immigrants and non-citizens with deep family and community ties.
The release on bond does not end Ferreira’s legal challenges.
She remains in removal proceedings and must comply with periodic check-ins with immigration authorities.
Meanwhile, legal observers and immigrant-rights groups are closely watching the case, as it could set precedents for how the administration handles similar cases involving non-citizens with long U.S. residency and family relationships to public-figures.
Legal filings in coming weeks will test how the courts balance immigration enforcement priorities against claims of long-term residence and family disruption.
