French Widow, 86, Freed from ICE Detention After Family Ordeal
An 86-year-old French widow, Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé, has been released from US immigration detention and allowed to return to France, ending a harrowing two-week ordeal that sparked international concern. The elderly woman was arrested in her nightgown at her home in Anniston, Alabama, after overstaying her 90-day visa, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
A Love Story Turned Bitter
Ross-Mahé had moved 4,000 miles from her home in Brittany, north-west France, to marry her former sweetheart William "Billy" Ross, a retired US army captain whom she met in the 1950s when she was a secretary at a military base where he was stationed. The couple married in April last year, but after Ross died in January aged 85 without leaving a will, a bitter inheritance battle erupted between Ross-Mahé and Ross's two sons from a previous marriage.
According to court documents, Ross-Mahé claimed she missed an appointment with immigration officials because Ross's eldest son, Gary, had redirected all mail sent to their home. She also alleged that one of his sons cut off water, electricity, and internet at the property. Under Alabama's inheritance laws, Ross-Mahé is entitled to half of Ross's estate.
The Arrest and Detention
On April 1, just two days after a county probate judge issued an order temporarily banning Ross's family from disposing of any assets, Ross-Mahé was arrested and taken to a federal immigration detention centre in Louisiana. Her son, who wished to remain anonymous, described the arrest as traumatic, saying she was "cuffed by the hands and feet like a dangerous criminal" despite suffering from heart and back problems.
The family heard no news about their mother for a week after her arrest until French consular officials were allowed to visit her. On Wednesday, two weeks after her arrest, her son spoke to her on the phone for the first time, describing her as "in good spirits" and "a fighter."
Release and Return to France
French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that Ross-Mahé had been released and flown back to France after Paris intervened in the case. Her adult children met her at Charles-de-Gaulle airport in Paris on Friday morning, where she was still dressed in her detention uniform of orange shoes, sweatpants, and a stained grey sweater. Her son told Ouest-France Newspaper: "Maman is finally free! It's a huge relief."
County probate judge Shirley Millwood, who is handling the inheritance dispute, suggested that Ross's youngest son, Tony, a retired Alabama state trooper, may have misused his position to tip off US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about the visa overstay. Tony has denied this allegation. Millwood has ordered Tony and his brother Gary to hand over the keys to their late father's house and not remove any property.
Broader Context
Ross-Mahé's case highlights the thousands of people targeted by mass deportation efforts, which have included spouses of US soldiers and military veterans. Her release marks a significant outcome after intense diplomatic efforts, but the emotional and physical toll of her detention remains a stark reminder of the complexities in US immigration enforcement.
