An octogenarian had decided to settle in the United States and marry an American, a former Air Force colonel, in early 2025.
After enduring two weeks of stress, the elderly French woman who was detained by US immigration authorities in early April, and subsequently placed in a detention center, has returned to France. The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, announced her return on Friday. Married to an American who passed away in January, Marie-Thérèse “returned to France this morning, and this is a source of satisfaction for us,” said the minister during a press conference in Montpellier.
The elderly woman faced violent apprehension conditions, as reported by her family, sparking concerns. She had moved to Anniston, Alabama, to be with her long-lost love, a former US Army captain whom she met near Saint-Nazaire in 1953. The couple, both widowed, rekindled their relationship a few years ago and tied the knot in 2025.
Amidst a dispute over inheritance, it was confirmed mid-week by the US Department of Homeland Security that Marie-Thérèse had been held in a detention center in Louisiana since her arrest on April 1st by ICE. According to US authorities, she had entered the country in June 2025 on a tourist visa, which allowed her a 90-day stay. However, seven months later, she was still unlawfully in the United States.
In an interview with Ouest-France on April 10th, Marie-Thérèse’s fifty-year-old son described the alarming circumstances of her arrest, stating that she was shackled like a dangerous criminal. The main concern for the family was to have her released from the detention center and repatriated to France, considering her health condition. A recent inheritance dispute had arisen between the French woman and her late American husband’s family, who had passed away in January 2026 before she could obtain her green card. The matter was scheduled to be resolved in court this month.
The French Consulate General in New Orleans closely monitored the situation of the octogenarian, ensuring she received consular protection. Diplomatic sources highlighted that French representatives were in touch with both the woman’s family and US ICE authorities to address the situation closely.
