Who is Jasmine Mooney? ICE detains Canadian entrepreneur at US border, sends her to Arizona facility ‘in chains’
ByShweta Kukreti
Mar 14, 2025 12:15 AM IST
Canadian entrepreneur Jasmine Mooney's mother is seeking assistance for her daughter who was held in the United States over incomplete visa issue.
Canadian entrepreneur Jasmine Mooney's mother is seeking assistance for her daughter who was held in the United States over an incomplete visa issue.
Jasmine Mooney said she was placed in a cell and was forced to “sleep on a mat for two and a half days without a blanket or pillow, with an aluminum foil wrapped over my body like a dead body.”(Jasmine Mooney/Facebook)
Jasmine Mooney said she was placed in a cell and was forced to “sleep on a mat for two and a half days without a blanket or pillow, with an aluminum foil wrapped over my body like a dead body.”(Jasmine Mooney/Facebook)
According to Abbotsford resident Alexis Eagles, her 35-year-old daughter Mooney arrived in the United States on March 3 at the San Ysidro border crossing between Mexico and San Diego with a partially completed Trade NAFTA work visa application.
Jasmine Mooney's mother and family demands her release
Eagles said Customs and Border Protection officials arrested Mooney, the co-founder of the Holy! Water health drink brand, and sent her to the detention facility for three nights.
She claimed that her daughter has no criminal charges against her and no criminal history.
Mooney's family, who are demanding her release, alleges that she was facing “inhumane” circumstances in a detention facility in Arizona.
Eagles said Mooney spent an additional three nights at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego after being turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
She further stated that an internet tracking system showed on March 9 that Mooney had been released. However, they later learned that she was shifted to the San Luis Detention Center in Arizona.
“However, 24 hours later, there was no sign of her, no communication and we were extremely worried,” Eagles said, as per Times COLONIST.
“We eventually learned that about 30 people, including Jasmine, were removed from their cells at 3 a.m. and transferred to the San Luis Detention Center in Arizona. They are housed together in a single concrete cell with no natural light, fluorescent lights that are never turned off, no mats, no blankets, and limited bathroom facilities.”
Jasmine Mooney describes horrific jail experience; ‘We were wrapped in chains’
Speaking from the former facility, Mooney told ABC's 10 News San Diego: "Every guard that sees me asks, 'What are you doing here?'?" I don’t understand — you’re Canadian. How are you here?’”
Describing her experience at the Otay Mesa facility, she said that she was placed in a cell and was forced to “sleep on a mat for two and a half days without a blanket or pillow, with an aluminum foil wrapped over my body like a dead body.”
In a chilling revelation, she further said, “We were up for 24 hours wrapped in chains,” after being shifted to Arizona in the middle of the night with 30 other women.
Regarding the circumstances in the San Luis center, she remarked, “I have never in my life seen anything so inhumane.”
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Here's what US and Canada have to say on her arrest
According to 10 News, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has refused to specify the specific reason for Mooney's detention, citing privacy concerns. They did, however, emphasize that the agency treats every tourist with professionalism, integrity, and respect and that it often blocks entry on 60 various grounds.
In the summer of 2024, Mooney is believed to have relocated to Los Angeles, California, on a three-year Tennessee work visa in order to work for her water company. She tried to return to Los Angeles after visiting her relatives in British Columbia, but a customs inspector at Vancouver airport in November withdrew her authorization.
According to Global Affairs Canada, it is aware that a Canadian national is being held in Arizona. "Consular officials are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information and to provide consular assistance."
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