An 86-year-old French woman, identified only as Marie-Thérèse, is being held in a crowded immigration detention centre in Louisiana after being arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The woman, originally from Brittany, moved to the United States last year to marry her 1950s sweetheart, a former US serviceman named Billy.
Her family has expressed grave concerns for her health, citing heart and back problems. One of her sons told French newspaper Ouest-France that ICE treated his mother like a hardened criminal, cuffing her hands and feet. He warned that given her health, she would not last a month in such conditions.
Marie-Thérèse rekindled her romance with Billy in 2010 via social media, after they were separated in 1966 when France withdrew from Nato's integrated military command. Both were married to other people at the time but reconnected after their spouses died. She moved to Anniston, Alabama, in April 2025 to marry Billy, a retired army colonel and helicopter pilot.
However, Billy died in January 2026 before Marie-Thérèse obtained a green card, leaving her immigration status unclear. She then became involved in a dispute with one of Billy's sons, who allegedly cut off utilities at her home. She hired a lawyer and was due in court on 1 April, but ICE agents arrested her eight days before the hearing.
Her son said the neighbours attended the court hearing and believed she would have won the case. French consular officials are attempting to secure her release, and the family has not heard news for a week after her arrest. Relations between France and the US are tense, with President Emmanuel Macron criticising Donald Trump's stance on Iran.
