This story was originally published by our news partners at WBUR. We are republishing it through the New England News Collaborative.
A Louisiana immigration judge has granted bond to Bruna Ferreira, the 33-year-old Revere woman with family ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
In mid-November, Ferreira was detained in Revere by ICE. She has spent the last several weeks at an immigration lockup in Louisiana.
WBUR has detailed Ferreira’s history with the New Hampshire-based Leavitt family. She has an 11-year-old child with Michael Leavitt, an older brother of President Trump’s press secretary.
Ferreira and Leavitt have had a contentious custody battle over their son; the Leavitts insist they were not involved in Ferreira’s arrest.
Ferreira is to be released on $1,500 bond. Her attorney said he expects her to be released in a few days.
Federal immigration officials described Ferreira as a “criminal illegal alien.” But her lawyers have contested that, saying they do not know of any charges she has faced. WBUR located a police report from Melrose, when Ferreira was a minor, at age 16, and allegedly had a fistfight with another girl over $8.
One of her lawyers, Todd Pomerleau, said in a text that a misdemeanor “does not disqualify anyone from getting a green card, nor does it disqualify anyone from getting DACA,” or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Ferreira came to the U.S. at age 6 from Brazil. Her family said Ferreira’s father was deported to Brazil when Ferreira was a teenager.
Ferreira will still need to fight deportation once released. It’s unclear whether the government plans to appeal the decision to grant her bond.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2025 WBUR
