An 85-year-old French woman detained by U.S. immigration officials for 16 days has returned to her native country, whose government alleges violent misconduct in the case.

Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé arrived Friday at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, where she was greeted by her three adult children still wearing detention center clothing, and French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated "there were acts of violence" in the case that concerned government authorities, reported the New York Times......

An Alabama probate judge overseeing the estate concluded that one of Ross's sons — a retired state trooper employed at a federal courthouse in Anniston — was responsible for her arrest. The judge noted that law enforcement officers informed the son, Tony Ross, of the impending detention a day before the arrest occurred.

Shirley A. Millwood, a Republican county probate judge elected in 2024, found that the Ross brothers had deliberately rerouted mail to prevent Ross-Mahé from receiving correspondence related to her citizenship application, causing her to miss an immigration hearing.

Millwood denied the sons' request to administer the estate, instead appointing an independent administrator, and ordered the federal government to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ross-Mahé's arrest and detention.