1. United States
2. Tenn.
3. Letter

Release Marie-Thérèse immediately and demand that the President issue a public apology to the people of France for this disgraceful treatment of an 86-year-old woman. Marie-Thérèse came to Alabama in April 2025 to marry Billy, a retired Army colonel she fell in love with in the 1950s while working at a NATO base in France. After Billy died in January 2026, before she could obtain her green card, his son cut off her water, electricity, and internet. Eight days before her scheduled court hearing, which neighbors say she would have won, ICE arrested her on April 1, 2026. Agents shackled her hands and feet like a hardened criminal. She is now detained in Louisiana with 70 other people. She has heart and back problems. Her son says she won't last a month under these conditions. French consular officials had to intervene just to visit her. This is how we treat the widow of a U.S. serviceman who served his country? This detention is cruel, unnecessary, and an embarrassment to our nation. Release her now and apologize publicly to France for this treatment of one of their citizens.