Marie-Thérèse, 86 years old, was arrested by the U.S. Immigration Police. On April 1st, this octogenarian from Loire-Atlantique, who has been living in the United States for several years, was detained and placed in a detention center by ICE, the U.S. federal immigration police, possibly due to the deaths of two people in Minneapolis in recent months.
According to her son, who spoke to Ouest-France, Marie-Thérèse was “handcuffed at the feet and hands like a dangerous criminal” at her home in Anniston, Alabama. Her neighbors alerted authorities after witnessing the arrest, as Marie-Thérèse, who suffers from heart and back problems, was taken into custody.
“We don’t know the real reasons for this incarceration, we only found out thanks to our neighbors, otherwise we would be in the dark,” said Hervé, Marie-Thérèse’s son. He added, “We haven’t had any contact with her since. We’ve managed to get information and updates from her through the efforts of people on-site.”
Hervé recounted an earlier contact made by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Louisiana consul on April 9th, who confirmed ongoing efforts to find a resolution for Marie-Thérèse’s release. A diplomatic source indicated that the French Consulate in Atlanta is monitoring the situation closely and providing consular protection. They are in communication with the family and U.S. ICE authorities.
The octogenarian had decided to settle in the U.S. and planned to marry an American, a former air force colonel, in 2025. They had met sixty years earlier when she was a bilingual secretary at an NATO base and reconnected after their spouses passed away. The Vietnam veteran passed away suddenly at the age of 85 this January.
Marie-Thérèse, who was awaiting a decision on her green card application and possessed a social security card, was waiting for a court ruling on her inheritance matters before returning to France after April 9th. Her son expressed hope for her swift return.
[Context: Marie-Thérèse’s case involving ICE arrest and diplomatic support. Fact Check: No confirmation on the motives for the arrest or the involvement in the Minneapolis deaths.]
