Melrose woman detained by ICE had contentious custody battle with White House press secretary’s brother

WBUR learned new details about the case of a local woman arrested by immigration officials in November.

The woman, Bruna Ferreira, has family ties to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Ferreira was born in Brazil and went to school in Melrose. The 33-year-old shares a child with the press secretary’s brother, Michael Leavitt. She’s currently in ICE custody in Louisiana.

WBUR’s Simón Rios, the first reporter to break this story, spoke to WBUR’s All Things Considered about what he found through public records and conversations with members of Ferreira’s and Leavitt’s families.

This segment aired on December 5, 2025.