Canadian actor and entrepreneur Jasmine Mooney was detained by U.S. immigration authorities for nearly two weeks after attempting to enter the country with an incomplete work visa application. The 35-year-old Canadian citizen, known for an appearance in an *American Pie* sequel and co-founding the beverage company Holy! Water, was detained on March 3 at the San Ysidro border crossing between Mexico and San Diego, California. Her detention concluded with her release and return to Canada, landing at Vancouver International Airport shortly after midnight on a Saturday morning.
"I have never in my life seen anything so inhumane." — Jasmine Mooney, Canadian Actor
Mooney's previous three-year U.S. work visa had been revoked in November while she was traveling from Vancouver to Los Angeles. She subsequently attempted to secure a new work visa at the San Ysidro crossing, where she reported being questioned extensively before her detention. According to Mooney, officials informed her that her visa had not been "properly processed." She also recounted an officer raising concerns about her working for a U.S. company that utilized hemp as an ingredient in its products. Mooney had previously traveled between Canada and California multiple times for work without encountering similar issues.
Her mother, Alexis Eagles, stated that Mooney arrived at the border with an incomplete work visa application, expecting officials would either send her back to Canada or instruct her on how to correct the necessary paperwork. Instead, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers detained her. Mooney had not been charged with any crime and possessed no prior criminal record, according to reports from The Guardian.
Initially, Mooney spent three nights in a detention center before being transferred with approximately 30 other detainees to a facility in San Luis, Arizona. Her mother, Alexis Eagles, alleged that her daughter was placed in chains during these transfers and housed under difficult conditions. Eagles described the environment, stating, "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."
Mooney herself echoed these sentiments, describing the conditions as "inhumane" during an interview with ABC 10 while still in detention. "I have never in my life seen anything so inhumane," Mooney said. She detailed an instance where she was forced to sleep on a mat without a blanket or pillow, resorting to using an aluminum foil covering to keep warm for about two and a half days. Mooney also noted that some guards appeared perplexed by her situation. "Every single guard that sees me is like, ‘What are you doing here? I don’t understand. You’re Canadian. How are you here?’" she recalled.
Prior to her acting and entrepreneurial ventures, Mooney worked in Canada’s hospitality industry. She moved from the Yukon to Vancouver in 2008 to attend the British Columbia Institute of Technology, later pursuing acting school and owning and operating a bar, as reported by The Guardian. Her mother indicated that Mooney had been residing in Los Angeles before her previous U.S. work visa was revoked following a trip to Canada. The specific reasons for that initial revocation were not immediately clear. Mooney explained that she returned to the San Ysidro crossing because she had previously obtained a visa there with assistance from a Los Angeles attorney.
After nearly two weeks in U.S. immigration custody, Mooney was released and returned to Canada. Upon her arrival in Vancouver, she spoke to reporters, stating, "I’m still, to be honest, really processing everything." She added that she had not slept properly or eaten normal food in some time and was still attempting to come to terms with the experience. Mooney later likened the ordeal to "escaping a deeply disturbing psychological experiment," while expressing gratitude to supporters who reached out after her release.
