The French government has issued a formal diplomatic request to the United States, urging the immediate release of an 86-year-old French widow of an American veteran who is currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rodolphe Sambou, France's consul general in New Orleans, stated his government is "fully mobilized" to secure the freedom of Marie-Therese Ross, who has been in federal custody since April 1.
"Given her age, we really want her to get out of this situation as soon as possible," Sambou told The Associated Press. "We want to get her out of jail." The consul general confirmed he has visited Ross twice during her detention and maintained contact with her family, though he declined to discuss the specifics of her legal immigration status with reporters.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Ross is being held at a federal immigration detention facility in Louisiana after overstaying a 90-day visa. The case emerges as DHS leadership faces intense congressional scrutiny over budget and operational priorities during a period of heightened political tension.
The story of Marie-Therese Ross and her late husband, William Ross, reads like a transatlantic romance. They first met in the late 1950s in western France, where William was stationed at a U.S. military base. He later married one of Marie-Therese's friends before returning to the United States. Decades later, after both their spouses had died, they reconnected. Marie-Therese moved to Anniston, Alabama, and the couple married in April 2025. William Ross, a U.S. veteran, died from natural causes on January 24 of this year.
Her detention is entangled in a contentious probate dispute. Under Alabama law, as William Ross's widow, she stood to inherit half of his estate. According to court documents, his younger son, Tony Ross, testified that Marie-Therese Ross did not want the inheritance but instead sought a way to return to France. William Ross's sons offered her $10,000 to waive her inheritance rights.
The situation escalated when Calhoun County Probate Judge Shirley A. Millwood issued an order on March 30, temporarily blocking William Ross's relatives from removing any assets from his home. The judge acted after Marie-Therese Ross claimed the sons had rerouted her mail, causing her to miss a critical immigration appointment. Judge Millwood is now seeking an investigation into the sons' conduct.
Notably, Tony Ross, a retired Alabama state trooper who works at Judge Millwood's courthouse, testified that he did not instruct colleagues to report Marie-Therese Ross to immigration authorities. However, Judge Millwood's ruling states that local police informed Tony Ross the day before the arrest that she would be detained and texted him one hour prior to her apprehension by ICE. This case highlights the complex intersection of federal immigration enforcement and local family legal battles.
The French government's direct intervention adds an international dimension to a domestic immigration case, placing diplomatic pressure on U.S. authorities during a period of ongoing policy debates. The humanitarian appeal based on the detainee's advanced age presents a significant challenge for an administration already navigating contentious border and enforcement issues. The outcome may influence bilateral relations and set a precedent for how similar cases involving elderly foreign nationals are handled by U.S. immigration authorities.
