Who is Michael Leavitt, Karoline Leavitt's brother in focus after Bruna Ferreira's ICE arrest

Mike Leavitt's family in spotlight after Bruna Caroline Ferreira's detention, who was engaged to Leavitt and is father to their son.

Published on: Nov 27, 2025, 10:08:48 IST

By Shirin Gupta

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Bruna Caroline Ferreira shares an 11-year-old son with Michael Leavitt, the brother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. (Bloomberg)

Ferreira was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on November 12, 2025. ICE agents arrested her in Revere, Massachusetts.

Her detention has brought Mike Leavitt's family into the spotlight. Here's what we know:

Michael Leavitt's family

Michael Leavitt is one of the four children of Bob and Erin Leavitt and is the middle brother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Karoline is married to a real estate developer, Nicholas Riccio. The two share a son together named Niko.

His and Karoline's other brother, Joe Leavitt, won a state championship as an amateur golfer in New Hampshire, according to the Daily Mail. Joe married his wife Tamrah in 2024.

According to multiple media reports, Michael and Ferreira separated more than a decade ago. According to Michael, their son has lived with Michael in New Hampshire ever since his birth and reportedly never resided with his mother.

Michael has since married his wife, Kara, with whom he shares another son, Jackson.

According to WMUR, Michael Leavitt declined to speak on camera and said that his “only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of my son.”

He spoke to News 9 on the front steps of his New Hampshire house with his now wife, Kara, and two children, Michael Jr. and Jackson, as reported by WMUR.

An administration official told reporters that Karoline Leavitt “had no involvement whatsoever” in the matter of her former sister-in-law’s detention.

What we know of Leavitt's son's mother

Bruna Caroline Ferreira had been living near Boston for the last 26 years as an ‘illegal immigrant’.

According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Ferreira overstayed her tourist visa, which had expired in 1999. The agency also claimed she had a prior arrest record for battery.

DHS has labelled Ferreira a “criminal illegal alien,” but her lawyer disputes the characterisation, saying she has no criminal record and was actually in the process of applying for a green card.

Ferreira is now being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and is facing deportation proceedings.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shirin Gupta
Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

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