Were any public records or booking logs showing ICE detention of Karoline Leavitt’s relatives in 2024–2025?
Executive summary
Multiple U.S. news outlets report that Bruna Caroline Ferreira — identified as the mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew — was arrested by ICE in November 2025 in the Boston area and transferred to an ICE facility in southern Louisiana [1] [2]. Available reporting notes media and DHS statements about detention and removal proceedings, but publicly posted ICE booking logs or a full arrest record are not cited in these articles [1] [3] [4].
1. What the reporting says: an ICE arrest tied to Leavitt’s extended family
Local and national outlets describe an ICE enforcement action in Revere, Massachusetts, that resulted in Ferreira’s arrest as she was reportedly going to pick up her son; multiple outlets say she is being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and placed in removal proceedings [1] [5] [2]. News organizations quote a DHS/ICE statement describing the detention and also publish statements from Ferreira’s lawyer disputing criminal-record claims [1] [6] [7].
2. Public records cited in coverage: what reporters found and what they did not
The Guardian, CNN, AP, The New York Times, WBUR and other outlets relay detention and transfer information, but none of these articles reproduces or links to a formal ICE booking log or a full chain-of-custody public booking record in the stories provided. Several outlets explicitly say the detailed arrest record, criminal charges, or how charges were resolved “were not immediately available” [8] [3] [2] [4]. That indicates mainstream reporting relied on official statements and lawyers’ comments rather than posting raw ICE docket screenshots or public booking entries [8] [3].
3. Disagreements in sources: DHS/ICE vs. defense counsel
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson or ICE statement is reported as characterizing Ferreira variously as an unlawfully present individual subject to removal and referring to prior arrests [1] [7]. Ferreira’s lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, directly disputes that she has a criminal record and says no criminal charges appear in public court records he has seen [1] [7]. Multiple outlets explicitly present both positions rather than treating one as definitive [6] [9].
4. Geographic and procedural details reported
Reports consistently state Ferreira was arrested near Boston (Revere, Mass.) and later detained at a processing center in southern Louisiana — a transfer of roughly 1,500 miles noted by CNN and others — and that she is in removal proceedings as of publication [1] [6]. The New York Times and AP also report she was pulled over en route to pick up her child and remained in ICE custody weeks after the arrest [2] [3].
5. What the articles do not show: no direct booking-log links included
Available sources do not include screenshots, direct links to ICE online booking logs, detainee locator records, or court dockets in the cited articles; several outlets state specific court charges or full arrest records were unavailable at the time of reporting [8] [4]. If you are seeking the original ICE booking entry, the stories describe detention and transfer but do not reproduce that primary document [1] [2].
6. How reporters verified identity and family ties
Most outlets cite law-enforcement statements, a Trump administration official, WBUR reporting, or family and attorney comments to confirm Ferreira’s identity and her relationship to Karoline Leavitt’s brother; coverage stresses the family connection was confirmed but notes the family members say they have not been in close contact for years [4] [9] [10]. The Hill and WBUR both relay that sources said the child lives full time with the press secretary’s brother, though Ferreira’s lawyer contests aspects of custody described by officials [11] [4].
7. Broader context and contrasting narratives
Reporting situates this arrest amidst a high-profile ICE enforcement push under the administration, with outlets pointing out the political optics of an immigration action touching someone with a White House tie [12] [13]. Some pieces emphasize that Ferreira’s attorney and family portray her as a long-standing community member working to regularize status, while DHS frames the detention as standard enforcement of immigration laws [14] [13].
8. If you need the booking logs: where reporting suggests to look next
Because the articles do not link to ICE booking logs, the next steps — not covered directly in current reporting — would typically be: check ICE’s online detainee locator or FOIA requests to ICE/DHS, review local court electronic records for any criminal filings in Massachusetts, or seek the ICE processing center’s intake logs for the South Louisiana facility. Available sources do not mention whether those searches have been completed or produced booking-log documents [1] [2].
Limitations: This analysis uses only the provided reporting; it notes repeatedly that reporters relied on ICE/DHS statements and attorneys’ claims and that direct booking logs or court dockets were not included in the cited stories [1] [7] [2]. If you want, I can draft suggested FOIA language and exact public-record queries that researchers would typically use to request ICE booking logs and transfer records.