An 86-year-old French woman who moved to the U.S. to reunite with a former lover is now being held by ICE in Louisiana.The woman, Marie-Thérèse, originally from the French city of Nantes, was arrested earlier in April in Anniston, Alabama. One of her sons has been speaking to French outlets to bring awareness to his mom's case, who he says is being treated like a criminal.According to her family, authorities handcuffed her hands and feet when they took her into custody, and she is facing rough conditions despite her age. For them, her health in the detention center is a major concern.• FIFA discussing making ICE plea to Donald Trump over World Cup• Woman who claimed she was in ICE custody actually on 2 day spa retreat"For us, it's urgent to get her out of the detention center and bring her back to France," her son said. "Given her health, she won't last a month in such conditions of detention."Authorities told the family that she is being held alongside 70 other detainees, despite her heart and back problems. The son also revealed that the woman's sons and daughter had not heard from her for a week. Eventually, a French consular official was able to visit her in Louisiana.Authorities told the family that she is being held alongside 70 other detainees, despite her heart and back problems. The son also revealed that the woman's sons and daughter had not heard from her for a week -Credit:APMarie-Thérèse moved to the U.S. last year to marry a former U.S. serviceman named Billy. The two met in France in the 1950s, when she was working as a bilingual secretary at a NATO base near Saint-Nazaire, France's Atlantic port.Eventually, the couple was separated in 1966, when then-President Charles de Gaulle withdrew France from NATO's integrated military command structure.Marie-Thérèse and Billy reconnected via social media in 2026, after both had married other people. By April 2025, both of their partners died, and Marie-Thérèse decided to make the move to Alabama to remarry her long-lost love.The two married last year, but this past January, Billy died, leaving Marie-Thérèse without a green card and her immigration status in limbo.That is when she entered a dispute with one of Billy's sons, who allegedly cut off water, electricity, and internet as the two fought for the late colonel and helicopter pilot's inheritance.That is when she entered a dispute with one of Billy's sons, who allegedly cut off water, electricity, and internet as the two fought for the late colonel and helicopter pilot's inheritance -Credit:AFP via Getty ImagesThe case was due to be handled in court on April 1, and Marie-Thérèse already had a lawyer. However, before she could defend her case, she was taken into ICE custody."The neighbors went to the court for the hearing and said our mother would have won," her son said. "She's holding up. Our mother's a fighter; a force of nature. The others being held call her unsinkable.""It's like a bad scene from an American film. Every morning, I wake, saying it can't be true, that I've had a nightmare," he added.The Department of Homeland Security recognized they were holding Marie-Thérèse in custody, describing her as an "illegal alien from ICE," who overstayed her 90-day visa and entered the country in June 2025. However, they did not comment on reports that she was handcuffed by her hands and feet despite her age."Reminiscing about his mother's long-lost lover, Marie-Thérèse's son described Billy as a "charming, adorable man. They were like a couple of teenagers."