Jasmine Mooney detained for nearly two weeks over incomplete work visa application
Canadian actress and entrepreneur Jasmine Mooney, known for her role in the American Pie franchise, has revealed that she was held in “inhumane” conditions at a US detention centre for almost two weeks. The 35-year-old was detained by US Customs and Border Protection officers on March 3 at the San Ysidro border crossing in California, due to an incomplete work visa application.
Mooney, who co-founded the beverage brand Holy! Water, had her work visa revoked in November while travelling from Vancouver to Los Angeles. She was in the process of applying for a new visa when she was detained. Mooney was not charged with any crime and has no prior criminal record. Despite this, she was arrested and transported to a private detention centre in San Luis, Arizona.
Her mother, Alexis Eagles, described the conditions at the detention facility as appalling. According to Eagles, the cells were dark with no natural light, fluorescent lights were kept on at all times, and detainees were provided with no mats, blankets, or adequate bathroom facilities. Mooney herself recounted sleeping on a bare mat, wrapped in aluminium foil, for over two days.
“I have never in my life seen anything so inhumane,” Mooney told ABC 10 in an interview from the detention centre. “I had to sleep on a mat with no blanket or pillow for two and a half days.”
The US Customs and Border Protection has not provided a comment on the incident. Mooney, who was released over the weekend, flew back to Vancouver on Saturday morning. Upon her arrival, she shared her emotional relief and distress from the experience.
“I’m still processing everything. I haven’t slept or eaten properly in a while,” she told reporters at the airport. “It felt like escaping a deeply disturbing psychological experiment.”
Mooney, who had previously worked in the hospitality industry and as a bar owner, has yet to clarify why her work visa was revoked or why she was detained at the southern border. She had been advised by an attorney to apply for her visa at the San Ysidro crossing, and she may have thought the process would work as it had previously.
Despite the traumatic ordeal, Mooney thanked her supporters on social media, expressing gratitude for the overwhelming messages she received.
