April 17 (UPI) — An 85-year-old woman from France whose late husband was a U.S. veteran returned to France Friday after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for 16 days.
Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé was detained in Alabama earlier this month for overstaying her 90-day visa. She was held in a detention center in Louisiana and French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said “there were acts of violence.”
“The main thing is that she is back in France and that is fully satisfying to us,” Barrot said.
Ross moved to the United States last year and married William Ross. They met in the 1950s when William Ross was working at a military base in France and remained in touch since.
William Ross died on Jan. 24. His death created a conflict between Marie and his sons over his estate.
Probate Judge Shirley Millwood of Calhoun County, Ala., is pushing for an investigation into whether Ross’ sons tampered with Marie’s mail, causing her to miss an immigration appointment.
Millwood said in her ruling that Tony Ross, one of the sons and a retired Alabama state trooper, was informed by police that Marie was going to be arrested the day before it happened and again an hour before the arrest. Tony Ross denied the accusation in his testimony to the court.
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