A French woman, 86, who moved to the US last year is being detained at an immigration enforcement centre in Louisiana just months after rekindling a 1960s romance. Marie-Thérèse was arrested in Anniston, Alabama, earlier in April.
“They handcuffed her hands and feet like she was a dangerous criminal,” her son told French outlet Ouest-France.
The US Department of Homeland Security told the BBC that an “illegal alien from France” matching Marie-Thérèse’s name had entered the country in June 2025 and overstayed her 90-day visa. However, Marie-Thérèse’s son said she was awaiting a green card when she was detained.
Who is Marie-Thérèse?
Marie-Thérèse had moved to the US after marrying her long-lost love, Billy, an American man whom she had met in the 1960s. The two met when Billy was a soldier stationed in the Nato base of Saint-Nazaire, and she was a secretary.
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Billy returned to the US in 1966. He and Marie-Thérèse eventually lost touch and got married, each of them in their own country. They both had children in their marriages.
However, in 2010, the two reconnected and even visited one another with their spouses, Ouest-France reported. Both of them were widowed by 2022, and started a relationship.
Marie-Thérèse’s son described Billy as a “charming, adorable man,” and said the couple were in love “like teenagers”. Billy and Marie-Thérèse married last year after she relocated to Alabama, and applied for a green card.
However, Billy suddenly died in January. Marie-Thérèse had not yet received her green card, and her immigration status was left unclear.
Shortly after Billy’s death, his son and Marie-Thérèse had a dispute over his inheritance. Her son alleged that Billy’s son “threatened her, intimidated her, and even went so far as to cut off her water, internet, and electricity.”
Marie-Thérèse hired a lawyer. However, she was arrested by ICE the day before a scheduled hearing. Her children were alerted by neighbors.
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Marie-Thérèse’s son told French media that the French foreign ministry is involved and she had received a consular visit. He said that his mom was a “fighter” and “holding up well.” However, she suffers from 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.
He added that 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”.
