Marie-Thérèse Ross, an 86-year-old French widow detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has been released and returned to France. According to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Ross departed the United States on Friday.
Key Takeaways
An 86-year-old French widow detained by ICE for overstaying her visa has been released and returned to France. Her son emphasized her need for rest after the ordeal. According to reports, U.S. immigration methods were deemed 'not acceptable' by French officials.
- Marie-Thérèse Ross was detained in Alabama on April 1 and held at a Louisiana facility
- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced her return to France
- Her son Hervé Goix stated that preserving her health is the family's priority
- The mayor of Orvault, Sébastien Arrouët, reported she is 'delighted' to be home
The Consul General of France in New Orleans, Rodolphe Sambou, had previously told the Associated Press that the French government was fully mobilized to push for her release. ICE agents detained Ross in Alabama on April 1 after she overstayed her 90-day visa. She was held at a federal immigration detention facility in Louisiana.
Ross is among thousands targeted by the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda, which has led to detentions of spouses of U.S. soldiers and military veterans who previously received greater leniency under scrapped policies. She married Alabama resident William Ross in April last year; he was a former captain in the US Army.
Sambou visited Ross twice in detention, coordinating with her family and French officials to ensure she had access to sufficient food and healthcare. He declined to comment on her legal status or other details of her case.
After returning to France, Ross's son Hervé Goix stated that the family’s “absolute priority” is to protect her health and well-being. Speaking at a news conference in Orvault, western France, Goix emphasized that Ross needs rest after her 16-day ordeal in federal immigration custody. The mayor of Orvault, Sébastien Arrouët, reported that Ross is 'delighted' to be home but needs time to process the psychological impact of her detention.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement methods were “not in line” with French standards and “not acceptable to us.” Ross entered the US last June after marrying a retired US soldier who had been stationed in France in the 1960s. A dispute over her late husband's estate led to her detention, according to an Alabama judge.
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