French National Marie-Thérèse Detained by ICE in Louisiana Following Death of American Husband

Marie-Thérèse, an elderly French national, faces deportation from a Louisiana ICE center after her US residency status lapsed following her husband's passing.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 14, 2026, 9:15 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from BBC News

Elderly French Citizen Facing Mass Deportation Protocols

An 86-year-old French woman named Marie-Thérèse is the latest high-profile individual caught in the expansive web of the United States’ current mass deportation initiative. Originally from Nantes, she relocated to Anniston, Alabama, last year to marry her long-lost partner, an American veteran she first met in the 1960s. Following her arrest earlier this April, her son reported that she was subjected to extreme measures, including being handcuffed at both her hands and feet. She is currently being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center in Louisiana as authorities review her legal right to remain in the country.

The Tragic Dissolution of a Rekindled Romance

The detention follows a period of significant personal loss and legal complexity for the elderly French national. Marie-Thérèse and her husband, Billy, had reconnected in 2010 after decades apart, eventually marrying in 2025 after both were widowed. While she had initiated the application process for a green card to grant her permanent residency, her husband died unexpectedly in January 2026 before the visa was issued. His passing left her in a precarious legal position, as her residency was primarily tied to her marriage to a US citizen.

Inheritance Dispute and Subsequent Arrest

The situation was further complicated by an alleged domestic conflict regarding Billy’s estate. According to reports from the French outlet Ouest-France, Marie-Thérèse’s son claims that Billy’s son engaged in a campaign of intimidation against her, which included cutting off her utilities. Although she had hired a lawyer to navigate these challenges, she was apprehended by ICE agents just one day before a scheduled legal hearing. While there is no definitive evidence linking her arrest to a report from her stepson, her family suggests the timing of the enforcement action was highly irregular.