Caroline Leavitt Faces Growing Scrutiny After ICE Detention of Her Nephew’s Mother and Controversial Deportation Claims

A growing controversy surrounding White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt is raising serious questions about her credibility, judgment, and the human consequences of the immigration policies she publicly defends.

For months, Leavitt has served as one of the Trump administration’s most aggressive messengers, standing at the White House podium nearly every weekday and forcefully defending hardline immigration enforcement. Critics argue that she routinely muddies the facts, labels individuals as criminals without court findings, and dismisses due process concerns as “judicial activism.”

Now, that rhetoric has collided with a deeply personal and troubling case involving her own extended family.

The Kilmar Abrego Garcia Case

The latest flashpoint centers on Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a man who was deported to El Salvador and placed in a notorious mega-prison before being returned to the United States after courts determined his removal lacked proper legal process.

When asked about the case, Leavitt publicly labeled Garcia a “proven human trafficker” and “proven gang member,” despite the fact that no court has made such findings. In fact, Garcia’s return to the U.S. and subsequent release from ICE custody occurred precisely because the government failed to substantiate those claims.

Legal experts and commentators quickly raised alarms, noting that while journalists and private citizens must carefully use terms like “allegedly,” the White House press secretary was making definitive criminal accusations about a private individual—without judicial backing.

A Personal Connection Raises Alarming Parallels

What has intensified scrutiny is the revelation that a strikingly similar situation occurred within Leavitt’s own extended family.

Last month, TMZ obtained video footage showing Bruna Caroline Ferrer—the mother of Leavitt’s nephew—being swarmed and detained by multiple masked federal immigration agents in Massachusetts. Ferrer is not only related to Leavitt through family ties; Leavitt is reportedly the godmother of Ferrer’s child.

Ferrer later spoke publicly about the incident on CNN, describing a deeply unsettling encounter. According to her account, agents appeared to know her identity but failed to present a warrant. She was stopped, surrounded by multiple vehicles, questioned, and taken into custody before being released weeks later.

“I can’t wrap my mind around it,” Ferrer said. “Nobody is above the law. How would you feel if this happened to you?”

No Warrant, Masks, and a Targeted Arrest

Ferrer’s attorney described the arrest as highly unusual and potentially premeditated. Agents initially acted as though it were a routine traffic stop, then suddenly addressed Ferrer by name—despite claiming they did not know who she was.

The agents were masked, a hallmark of ICE operations rather than local law enforcement. Ferrer was later transported across state lines, and her identity was verified only after she was already in custody. A warrant, according to her lawyer, appeared to be generated after the fact—an extraordinary procedural irregularity.

Even more troubling, Ferrer had been actively pursuing legal status for years. She had DACA protections in the past and had recently submitted another green card application. According to her legal team, deportation proceedings that had been dormant since the Obama administration were abruptly accelerated just one day after her most recent filing.

“This wasn’t random,” her attorney said. “They knew where she would be, when she would be there, and exactly who they were looking for.”

Family Fallout and Moral Questions

The emotional toll of the arrest has been severe. Ferrer described being separated from her child, placed on a GPS monitor, and struggling to maintain contact with her son amid mounting legal stress.

When asked whether she had spoken to Leavitt since the incident, Ferrer said no. Asked what she would say to her, she replied bluntly:
“Just because you went to a Catholic school doesn’t make you a good Catholic. You’re a mother now. How would you feel if someone did this to you?”

Photos and videos contradict claims from pro-Trump media figures suggesting Leavitt barely knew Ferrer. The two women have appeared together at family gatherings, pool parties, and events involving the child they share a familial bond over.

A Broader Pattern

Critics argue that the case exemplifies a broader pattern in the administration’s immigration strategy: prioritizing aggressive enforcement against nonviolent individuals—often parents—while claiming to focus on serious criminals.

As Ferrer’s lawyer pointed out, deploying seven or more vehicles and masked agents to detain a mother on her way to pick up her child raises profound questions about priorities, proportionality, and the use of federal resources.

“She was released within weeks,” one commentator noted. “If she was such a threat, why was she free so quickly?”

Credibility on the Line

For Caroline Leavitt, the controversy cuts to the core of her role. As press secretary, she insists the administration values law, order, and truth. Yet critics argue that her public statements about immigration cases—paired with the treatment of her own family member—reveal a stark disconnect between rhetoric and reality.

When accusations of criminality collapse under legal scrutiny, and when personal connections expose the human cost of policy decisions, questions about credibility become unavoidable.

As Ferrer herself put it: “There are thousands of families going through this every day. Where does it end? When does it stop?”

For now, those questions remain unanswered—both at the White House podium and beyond.