An 85-year-old French woman who was detained by U.S. immigration authorities for more than two weeks has returned to France, ending a case that drew international attention and raised questions about due process.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed Friday that Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé was back on French soil, calling the outcome “fully satisfying,” according to reports from Associated Press and The New York Times. He declined to provide further details.
Ross-Mahé arrived at Paris’ main international hub, Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, where she was reunited with her three adult children. It remains unclear whether she departed the United States voluntarily or was formally deported.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Ross-Mahé had overstayed a 90-day visa, which led to her arrest.
The case has drawn scrutiny due to her age and personal circumstances. Ross-Mahé, originally from Nantes, relocated to Alabama in June 2025 after marrying William Ross, a retired U.S. Army captain. The couple had first met decades earlier while working at a NATO base in France and later rekindled their relationship following the deaths of their spouses.
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According to family members, Ross-Mahé was in the process of applying for a green card when she was detained.
Complicating the situation was a legal dispute following her husband’s death earlier this year. Without a will, his estate became the subject of an inheritance battle involving his two adult sons. Court filings cited by multiple outlets indicate that a local probate judge found the sons had “purposefully” rerouted Ross-Mahé’s mail, causing her to miss a scheduled immigration hearing—an event that may have triggered enforcement action.
On April 1, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Ross-Mahé at her Alabama residence. A neighbor’s account submitted in court stated she was taken into custody while dressed in a nightgown and robe.
She was subsequently held in a detention facility in Louisiana for 16 days before being released on April 16.
Family members described her condition as fragile upon her return. “She’s very tired,” one son told the Associated Press. “She’s not very good.”
French officials have not indicated whether they will pursue diplomatic follow-up, and U.S. authorities have not publicly addressed the broader circumstances of the case beyond the visa overstay.
The incident underscores ongoing tensions around immigration enforcement practices, particularly in cases involving elderly individuals and pending legal proceedings.
