An 85-year-old French widow has returned to France after a harrowing 16-day ordeal in U.S. immigration custody which sparked diplomatic criticism from Paris.
Marie-Thérèse Ross, who had moved to the U.S. to start a new life with an American military veteran, was sent back to her home country Friday.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed her return, saying: “She returned to France this morning. This is a satisfaction for us.”
Barrot added that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement methods are “not in line” with French standards and “not acceptable to us.”
Ross entered the U.S. last June after marrying a retired U.S. soldier.
Following his death in January, an estate dispute arose. An Alabama judge found her stepson – a US federal employee – allegedly intervened to have her taken into immigration custody.
Federal agents detained Ross on 1 April for overstaying her 90-day visa, though her son, Herve Goix, said she was applying for a green card.
French officials expressed concern for Ross’s well-being while she was held at a Louisiana detention facility.
On her release, her son said: “We are very, very happy, but we are tired.”
Her attorney, Kim Willingham, claimed Ross was denied necessary medication and felt she and other inmates were “not being treated well within the facility,” saying she “did everything she was supposed to do” for her green card.
Ross gave up her pension to move to Alabama and marry William B. Ross. After his death without estate plans, his two sons sought control of his modest assets, valued under $190,000.
Calhoun County Probate Judge Shirley A. Millwood noted the sons rerouted mail, causing Ross to miss a crucial immigration appointment.
Judge Millwood accused one son, a former Alabama State Trooper and current federal employee, of using his position to prompt his stepmother’s detention days before an estate hearing. Records show Ross was taken into custody in her nightgown, unable to retrieve her phone, passport, or identification.
Despite the stepson denying involvement, Judge Millwood said evidence indicated he knew of the arrest in advance and received a confirmation text. His brother then arrived to change the locks.
In an April 10 ruling, Judge Millwood ordered the stepsons to allow Ross to retrieve her belongings.
The judge also urged the federal government to investigate the circumstances of Ross’s arrest “in light of the ongoing national events surrounding the distrust of federal law enforcement officers and the many investigations ongoing of corruption within our government.”
The stepsons’ attorney declined to comment, and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond.
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