French woman, 86, held by ICE after moving to US to reunite with long-lost love
TL;DR
An 86-year-old French woman is detained by ICE in Louisiana after moving to the US to reunite with her long-lost love. Her son raised concerns about her treatment during the arrest in Alabama.
Key points
- 86-year-old French woman detained by ICE
- Moved to the US to reunite with long-lost love
- Her son raised concerns about her treatment during arrest
An 86-year-old French woman who moved to the US last year after rekindling a 1960s romance is being detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) centre in the state of Louisiana.
The son of Marie-Thérèse, from the city of Nantes, sounded the alarm after his mother was arrested in Anniston, Alabama, earlier in April.
"They handcuffed her hands and feet like she was a dangerous criminal," he told French outlet Ouest-France.
His mother had moved to the US after marrying her long-lost love - an American man named Billy whom she had met in the 1960s, when he was a soldier stationed in the Nato base of Saint-Nazaire, and she a secretary.
Billy returned to the US in 1966. He and Marie-Thérèse lost touch, got married - each in their own country - and had children.
According to Ouest-France, the two reconnected in 2010 and visited one another with their spouses.
By 2022, both were widowed and started a relationship. Billy was a "charming, adorable man", Marie-Thérèse's son said, and the couple were in love "like teenagers".
They married last year and Marie-Thérèse relocated to Alabama, applying for a green card that would grant her the right to remain in the US.
But Billy died suddenly in January, and his son and Marie-Thérèse reportedly entered a dispute over his inheritance.
According to Ouest-France, Billy's son "threatened her, intimidated her, and even went so far as to cut off her water, internet, and electricity," her son said.
Marie-Thérèse hired a lawyer, but was arrested by ICE the day before a scheduled hearing. Neighbours alerted her children.
There is no proof that it was a report by Billy's son that landed his stepmother in an ICE detention centre.
The French foreign ministry is involved and Marie-Thérèse had received a consular visit, her son told French media. He added that his mother was a "fighter" and "holding up well" but that she had heart and back problems.
"Our priority is to get her out of this detention center and repatriate her to France. Given her health, she won't last a month in such conditions of detention," he said.
Since the start of Donald Trump's second term in office, ICE has taken a central role in carrying out his administration's mass deportation initiative.
ICE, its budget and its mission have been significantly expanded and plays a key role in removing undocumented immigrants from the US.
Marie-Thérèse's son said his story "was like a bad American film. Every morning I wake up and tell myself none of it is true, that it was just a nightmare."
The BBC has reached out to the US Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Q&A
Why was the 86-year-old French woman detained by ICE?
She was detained after moving to the US to reunite with her long-lost love, raising concerns about her immigration status.
What is the background of Marie-Thérèse's relationship with her American husband?
Marie-Thérèse rekindled a romance with Billy, an American soldier she met in the 1960s, after they lost touch for decades.
Where was Marie-Thérèse arrested by ICE?
Marie-Thérèse was arrested in Anniston, Alabama, before being transferred to an ICE detention center in Louisiana.
