Bruna‑Caroline Ferreira told CNN that ICE agents arrested her last month without showing a warrant and transported her in an unmarked car while she was en route to pick up her son. Ferreira — who came to the U.S. from Brazil in 1998 and says she has been pursuing a green card — alleges she was moved across multiple states, held without family contact for 26 days, and told she was bound for a facility described as a “final stop before your deportation.” Her attorney says a warrant was only produced hours later in Vermont and calls the operation unusually targeted.
Mother Of Karoline Leavitt’s Nephew Says ICE Arrested Her Without A Warrant, Took Her In An Unmarked Car
Bruna‑Caroline Ferreira — the mother of the nephew of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and the godmother to Leavitt’s son — told CNN that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested her last month without presenting a warrant and transported her in an unmarked vehicle while she was driving to pick up her child.
What Ferreira Says Happened
Ferreira, who immigrated from Brazil in 1998 at age six and says she has been pursuing a green card for years, described being surrounded by what she called a “swarm of people” and placed into an unmarked car. She told correspondent Erin Burnett the officers never showed a warrant at the scene. “They asked me, ‘Is your name Bruna?’ And I just asked, ‘Well, how do you know who I am?’” she recalled.
“At first, they played dumb and acted like it was a traffic stop,” said her attorney, Todd Pomerleau. He added that a warrant was apparently produced only hours later, after Ferreira had been moved to Vermont — a sequence he described as “highly unusual.”
Transfers, Communication Gaps And Alleged Threats
Ferreira says she was transferred repeatedly while in ICE custody, often without being told her destination, and was moved across multiple states before arriving in Louisiana. She told CNN an ICE agent told her she was being taken to her “final stop before your deportation,” calling the facility one “where hardly anyone ever gets out.”
According to Ferreira, she was unable to contact her family for 26 days; she says she only alerted them to her whereabouts after another detainee let her use phone minutes. Although she has since been released, she said she remains separated from her son and was placed on a GPS monitor that she calls unlawful.
Context And Legal Claims
Burnett reported that the Trump administration has described Ferreira as a “criminal illegal alien” who overstayed a tourist visa. Ferreira’s attorney maintains she began applying for a green card years ago and is protected from removal by an Obama‑era immigration policy. Pomerleau argues the operation appeared targeted and that Ferreira — like anyone in the United States — is entitled to due process under the law.
Impact: Ferreira said the detention has been traumatic for her child, who is Leavitt’s godson, and that the case has generated sustained media attention. Her lawyer emphasized that family ties should not determine access to fair legal process.
Reporting note: The account above summarizes Ferreira’s and her lawyer’s statements to CNN. ICE has not been quoted here; readers should consult original CNN coverage for the full video and additional context.
