Canadian entrepreneur detained by ICE and sent to Arizona facility in chains after visa was revoked, family says

A Canadian businesswoman who was arrested successful the United States by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents implicit an incomplete visa is being held successful “inhumane” conditions successful an Arizona detention center, according to her family, who person present gone nationalist successful an effort to unafraid her release.

Jasmine Mooney, 35, co-founder of the Holy! Water wellness portion brand, was detained aft crossing the San Ysidro borderline betwixt Mexico and San Diego connected March 3. She was carrying an incomplete exertion for a caller Trade NAFTA (TN) enactment visa aft her archetypal was unexpectedly revoked, according to her mother, Alexis Eagles.

Eagles said her girl was subsequently held for 3 nights astatine the borderline earlier being transferred to the Otay Mesa Detention Centre successful San Diego for 3 more.

An online tracking strategy past indicated Mooney had been released, lone for it to look that she had been transferred to the San Luis Detention Center successful Arizona.

Mooney, speaking to ABC’s 10 News San Diego from the second facility, said: “Every azygous defender that sees maine is similar ‘What are you doing here? I don’t recognize – you’re Canadian. How are you here?’”

She said of her clip astatine the Otay Mesa facility: “I was enactment successful a cell, and I had to slumber connected a mat with nary blanket, nary pillow, with an aluminum foil wrapped implicit my assemblage similar a dormant assemblage for 2 and a fractional days.”

Mooney said that she and 30 different women were past relocated to Arizona successful the mediate of the night, adding: “We were up for 24 hours wrapped successful chains.”

“I person ne'er successful my beingness seen thing truthful inhumane,” she said of conditions successful the San Luis center.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has truthful acold declined to accidental connected what precise grounds Mooney was detained, citing privateness restrictions, according to 10 News. However, they did accidental the bureau routinely prevents travelers from entering the state connected 60 antithetic grounds, adding that it treats each travelers with integrity, respect and professionalism.

Mooney is understood to person moved to Los Angeles, California, successful the summertime 2024 to enactment connected her h2o task connected a three-year TN enactment visa. However, her authorization was revoked by a customs serviceman astatine Vancouver airdrome successful November erstwhile she attempted to instrumentality to L.A. aft visiting her household successful British Columbia.

“They told maine I was unprofessional due to the fact that I didn’t person a due letterhead connected my paperwork,” she explained.

Eagles said her girl had entered the U.S. via Mexico erstwhile she was granted her archetypal visa and had been attempting to bash the aforesaid this time.

“We person nary contented with her being denied entry, we person nary contented with her initially being detained,” she said.

“But we person a immense contented with the inhumane attraction she is receiving and that she knows nothing, has not been charged and has not been capable to talk with america directly.”

Mooney’s Chicago-based concern spouse BJ McCaslin told Postmedia News: “It seems similar a nightmare and surviving hell.

“I don’t cognize however idiosyncratic successful her presumption tin beryllium taxable to this, and not released instantly erstwhile they recovered retired the circumstances.”

McCaslin added: “She’s decidedly not a criminal. She [was] coming to a health-food merchandise exposition [in Anaheim].

“She’s an upstanding idiosyncratic who is precise well-respected successful our industry.

“I afloat enactment the American government, but I’m precise fearful for my friend.”

Brittany Kors, Mooney’s champion friend, told 10 News: “I conscionable consciousness truly helpless… We don’t cognize what the adjacent steps are. We don’t adjacent cognize the crushed wherefore they are holding her there.”

Global Affairs Canada has said it is “aware of the detention of a Canadian national successful Arizona. Consular officials are successful interaction with section authorities to stitchery further accusation and to supply consular assistance.

“Every state oregon territory decides who tin participate oregon exit done its borders. The authorities of Canada cannot intervene connected behalf of Canadian citizens with respect to the introduction and exit requirements of different country.”