LOUISIANA — Marie-Thérèse, a French national from the city of Nantes, is being detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Louisiana after she was arrested in Anniston, Alabama, earlier in April. The arrest occurred the day before a scheduled hearing related to her pending green card application.

Marie-Thérèse moved to the United States last year after rekindling a romance that began in the 1960s. She married an American man named Billy last year and relocated to Alabama, where she applied for a green card to grant her the right to remain in the country. She had not yet received the green card when Billy died in January.

Shortly after Billy's death, his son and Marie-Thérèse entered a dispute over Billy's inheritance. According to her son, Billy's son threatened and intimidated Marie-Thérèse and cut off her water, internet, and electricity. Marie-Thérèse hired a lawyer to assist with the matter.

ICE agents arrested Marie-Thérèse in Anniston earlier in April. Neighbors alerted her children after the arrest, and her son subsequently sounded the alarm. A supporter of the family described the circumstances of the arrest, saying: "They handcuffed her hands and feet like she was a dangerous criminal."

Marie-Thérèse has heart and back problems. A supporter said: "Our priority is to get her out of this detention center and repatriate her to France. Given her health, she won't last a month in such conditions of detention."

The French foreign ministry is involved in Marie-Thérèse's case. She received a consular visit from the French government at the Louisiana detention facility.

ICE has not publicly commented on the detention. The agency's budget and mission have expanded, and it plays a key role in removing undocumented immigrants from the U.S.