1. United States
2. La.
3. Letter

I'm asking you to introduce legislation that prohibits ICE from detaining individuals whose only violation is a visa overstay and who have no criminal record. Marie-Thérèse Ross, an 85-year-old French widow, spent 16 days in federal immigration custody after overstaying her 90-day visa. She had married a retired U.S. soldier and was applying for a green card when ICE detained her in Alabama on April 1. Her husband had died in January, and according to an Alabama judge, her stepson, a federal employee, allegedly intervened to have her arrested during an estate dispute. She was held in Louisiana before finally being returned to France. This is not border security. This is using immigration enforcement as a weapon in a family dispute. Ross posed no threat and had no criminal history. France's Foreign Minister called ICE's methods "not acceptable," and the mayor of Orvault described the psychological violence she endured. ICE should focus resources on actual threats to public safety, not elderly widows navigating paperwork. Civil visa violations can be handled through fines, hearings, and deportation orders without detention. Pass legislation that ends this practice.