Who is Michael Leavitt? Karoline Leavitt’s brother’s former fiancé Bruna Caroline Ferreira detained by ICE

Bruna Caroline Ferreira, the former fiancée of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's brother, Michael Leavitt, was arrested by ICE on November 12. Ferreira, who shares an 11-year-old son named Michael Leavitt Jr. with Michael, had overstayed her visa after entering the U.S. from Brazil in 1998.

Michael Leavitt was the firstborn son of New Hampshire-based Bob and Erin Leavitt, who later had their second child, Joe, followed by their daughter, Karoline Leavitt, as per People magazine. Leavitt, a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, is the Vice President and General Manager at Leavitt Auto & Truck, a car dealership located in Atkinson, New Hampshire, according to his LinkedIn page.

According to People magazine, Bruna gave birth to her son in 2014.

What happened to Michael Leavitt’s former fiancée, Bruna Caroline Ferreira?

The 33-year-old Bruna Caroline Ferreira was first stopped and then detained by ICE in Revere, Massachusetts, while on her way to her son’s school. As per the New Haven Register, Bruna’s lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, revealed that she was carted to various locations:

“She wasn’t told why she was detained. She was bounced from Massachusetts, to New Hampshire, to Vermont, to Louisiana on this unconstitutional merry-go-round.”

According to The Daily Beast, Bruna arrived in the United States as a six-year-old and remained after her tourist visa expired in 1999. She had been a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, under which immigrant children who came to the country remain protected, notes the New Haven Register. Her lawyer, Pomerleau, while defending Bruna, told the news outlet,

“She was detained for no reason at all. She's not dangerous. She's not a flight risk. She's not a criminal illegal alien. She’s a business owner who pays taxes and has a child who was wondering where mommy was after school two weeks ago. … They’re claiming she has some type of criminal record we’ve seen nowhere. Show us the proof. She would’ve been deported years ago if that was true. And yet, here she is in the middle of this immigration imbroglio.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up by Bruna's sister, Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues, to provide her with resources. On the campaign website, Bruna’s sister said,

“Bruna was brought to the United States by our parents in December of 1998, when she was just a child, entering on a visa. Since then, she has done everything in her power to build a stable, honest life here. She has maintained her legal status through DACA, followed every requirement, and has always strived to do the right thing.”

While requesting help with legal fees, Graziela made a reference to her sister Bruna’s son and said,

“Bruna’s absence has been especially painful for her 11-year-old son, Michael Leavitt Junior, who needs his mother and hopes every single day that she’ll be home in time for the holidays.”

As of the time of writing this article, the fundraiser has raised approximately $900 more than its target of $30,000.

Graziela told the Boston Globe that since Bruna’s detention, Michael and his father have reached out to the family, but they have not heard from Karoline Leavitt.

According to The New York Post, NBC News reported that Bruna is being considered a “criminal illegal alien,” who has been placed under arrest on suspicion of battery, and is currently “in removal proceedings” in South Louisiana.