An 85-year-old French widow who married a retired U.S. soldier decades ago has returned to France after spending 16 days in federal immigration custody. Marie-Thérèse Ross was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on April 1 for overstaying her 90-day visa, though she was in the process of applying for a green card. An Alabama judge found evidence that her stepson, a U.S. federal employee, may have used his position to trigger her detention amid a dispute over her late husband’s estate.
The case has drawn criticism from France’s government and raised questions about whether immigration enforcement powers can be misused in family disputes. An Alabama judge has ordered a federal investigation into the circumstances of Ross’s arrest.
An 85-year-old French widow has returned to France after 16 days in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, the latest in a series of cases raising questions about how immigration enforcement powers are exercised. Marie-Thérèse Ross was detained in Alabama on April 1 for overstaying her 90-day visa, though she had been in the process of applying for permanent legal residency.
The detention came amid a family dispute over the estate of her husband, William B. Ross, a retired U.S. soldier whom she married after meeting him more than 50 years ago. An Alabama judge found evidence suggesting that one of her stepsons, a federal employee, may have used his position to trigger her arrest, a move the stepson denied in court.
The Circumstances of Detention
Ross entered the U.S. in June 2025 to marry William B. Ross and start a new life in Alabama. The couple had met when he was stationed in France in the 1960s. After he died of natural causes in January 2026, his two sons from a previous marriage sought control of his estate, worth less than $190,000 and including a home in Anniston, Alabama.
According to court records reviewed by the judge, the stepsons rerouted mail from the residence, causing Ross to miss an immigration-related appointment. One stepson, who was formerly an Alabama State Trooper and now works as a federal employee, denied in court that he participated in her detention. But the judge found that evidence indicated he knew in advance of the April 1 arrest and received a text message confirming it shortly afterward.
Ross was taken into custody in her nightgown without her phone, passport, or other identification. She was then held at a detention facility in Louisiana for 16 days.
Health Concerns and Medication
During her detention, Ross was not given medication she required, according to her attorney, Kim Willingham. “She does not feel she or other inmates are being treated well within the facility,” Willingham told the press.
Ross’s son, Herve Goix, said his mother had been complying with immigration requirements. “She’s very tired, she’s not very good, but it’s difficult for her,” Goix said of her condition after release. “We are very, very happy, but we are tired.”
International Response
The detention prompted criticism from French officials. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said during a public appearance that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement methods are “not in line” with French standards and are “not acceptable to us.” Ross returned to France on April 17.
An Alabama Probate Judge, Shirley A. Millwood, has ordered the stepsons to allow Ross to retrieve her personal belongings from the home. In a court order, Millwood also urged the federal government to investigate the circumstances of the arrest, noting concern about “the ongoing national events surrounding the distrust of federal law enforcement officers and the many investigations ongoing of corruption within our government.”
Willingham said Ross had “done everything she was supposed to do with regard to obtaining her green card” before her detention. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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