In brief
Marie-Thérèse, an elderly French widow, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after moving to the US to reunite with her long-lost love, Billy. Amidst a family dispute regarding inheritance and following her husband's sudden death, she finds herself trapped in a troubling situation involving immigration laws.
An 86-year-old French woman who moved to the US last year after rekindling a romance from the 1960s is currently detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center in Louisiana.
Marie-Thérèse, from Nantes, was arrested in Anniston, Alabama, earlier this month, prompting her son to alert the media. He reported that authorities treated her like a criminal—They handcuffed her hands and feet like she was a dangerous criminal, he told Ouest-France.
Having married her long-lost love, an American named Billy whom she met in the 1960s, Marie-Thérèse relocated to Alabama, where she sought a green card after their marriage. Billy, who had returned to the US in 1966, had started a new life, marrying and having children, while Marie-Thérèse did the same in France.
The two reconnected in 2010 and eventually began their romantic relationship after both were widowed in 2022. Following their marriage, problems arose surrounding Billy's inheritance, leading to disputes with his son, who reportedly threatened her.
The day before a scheduled court hearing regarding her situation, Marie-Thérèse was detained by ICE, with no evidence indicating that her stepson reported her to the authorities. Her son has reached out to the French government for assistance, citing her vulnerable health and the stress of her current situation.
Marie-Thérèse's story has highlighted broader issues surrounding ICE's role in immigration enforcement under current political conditions, with her son describing his family’s plight as resembling a scene from a bad American film.
