French widow, 86, flies home after ICE detention ordeal
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- Marie-Thérèse Ross, an 86-year-old French woman, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Alabama on 1 April for overstaying her 90-day visa and held in a Louisiana detention center.
- Ross had married Alabama resident William Ross, a former US army captain who died in January, triggering an inheritance dispute between his children and his widow.
- A probate judge suggested that one of William Ross's children may have used their government position to have Marie-Thérèse Ross arrested.
- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that Ross returned to France and expressed relief over her repatriation.
- Ross’s family criticized ICE for treating her like a criminal and expressed concerns about her health, noting she suffered from heart and back problems and was detained with 70 other detainees.
