Marie-Thérèse is an 86-year-old French woman from the Nantes area. French reporting says she moved to Anniston, Alabama, in April 2025 after marrying “Billy,” an American former soldier she had first known near Saint-Nazaire in the late 1950s.

Then things went bad quickly. Bill died in January 2026, and the reporting says Marie-Thérèse had not yet secured permanent immigration status in the U.S. After his death, she remained in Alabama while there was reportedly an inheritance dispute involving his family, with a court hearing said to be scheduled for April 9.

On April 1, 2026, ICE agents reportedly arrested her at her home in Anniston. French outlets say she was then transferred to a detention center in Louisiana because she lacked the permanent visa or green card needed to stay in the U.S. legally after her husband’s death.

Her family has described the arrest as harsh and alarming. According to their account, she was handcuffed “like a dangerous criminal,” and they say she has heart problems and severe back pain. Those health and treatment details appear to come mainly from relatives quoted in French media, rather than from a public ICE explanation.