one french womanThe 86-year-old moved to the United States last year and was detained at an immigration enforcement center in Louisiana just months after rekindling a 1960s romance. Marie Therese was arrested in Anniston, alabamaearly April.
Her son told French newspaper Ouest-France: “They put handcuffs and shackles on her like she was a dangerous criminal.”
The US Department of Homeland Security told the BBC, “illegal alien “From France” matched the name of Marie-Thérèse, who entered the country in June 2025 and exceeded the 90-day visa limit. However, Marie-Thérèse’s son said she was awaiting a green card when she was detained.
Who is Marie Therese?
Marie-Thérèse moved to the United States after marrying her long-lost love, Billy, an American man she met in the 1960s. The two met when Billy was a soldier stationed at the NATO base in Saint-Nazaire and she was a secretary.
In 1966, Billy returned to the United States. He and Marie-Thérèse eventually lost touch and married, each in their own countries. They both have children from their marriage.
However, in 2010, the pair reconnected and even visited each other with their spouses, according to France Ouest. By 2022, both were widowed and in a relationship.
Marie-Thérèse’s son described Billy as a “charming, lovely man” and said the couple fell in love “like teenagers”. Last year, after Billy moved to Alabama and applied for a green card, she and Marie-Thérèse married.
However, Billy died suddenly in January. Marie-Thérèse has not yet received her green card and her immigration status is unclear.
Shortly after Billy’s death, his son and Marie-Thérèse had a dispute over his inheritance. Her son claimed that Billy’s son “threatened her, intimidated her and even cut off her water, internet and electricity”.
Marie-Thérèse hired a lawyer. However, she was arrested by ICE the day before her scheduled hearing. Her children were alerted by neighbors.
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Marie-Thérèse’s son told French media that the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs was involved and that she had received consular visits. He said his mother was a “fighter” and “persisted well.” However, she suffered from heart and back problems.
“Our first priority is to get her out of this detention center and return her to France. Given her health condition, she will not last a month in these detention conditions,” he said.
He added that his story was “like a bad American movie. Every morning I wake up and tell myself none of this is real, this is just a nightmare”.
