In the latest interview, an American Pie star details the ‘inhumane’ conditions she experienced in ICE detention while applying for a visa.
Jasmine Mooney detained by ICE while applying for a visa
Canadian actress Jasmine Mooney has shared details about the ‘inhumane’ treatment she faced after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The “American Pie Presents: The Book of Love” star was arrested at the San Ysidro border on March 3 while attempting to secure a visa.
She spent 12 days in ICE custody at three different facilities.
Actress describes being shackled and denied basic necessities
Mooney, 35, revealed that ICE officers placed her ‘in chains’ after scrutinizing her visa paperwork.
Speaking to The New York Times, she said she was forced to sleep on a mat without a pillow and was given only an aluminum foil blanket.
“I have never in my life seen anything so inhumane,” she told 10 News San Diego.
“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 said. “[I had] aluminum foil wrapped over my body like a dead body for two and a half days.”
Mooney’s visa revoked unexpectedly, leading to detention
According to Mooney’s mother, Alexis Eagles, the actress was applying for a Trade NAFTA (TN) work visa when she was detained.
Eagles stated that Mooney’s application was incomplete, which led to her arrest.
Mooney spent three nights at the San Ysidro border before being transferred to the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego for another three days.
She was later moved to the San Luis Detention Center in Arizona, where she remained until her release.
Actress breaks silence after release, calls experience ‘deeply disturbing’
Mooney announced on Instagram that she had returned home, thanking supporters who had helped secure her release.
“I just got home after what felt like escaping a deeply disturbing psychological experiment,” she wrote. “I am beyond grateful for my friends, family, and the media who worked tirelessly to get me out.”
She said: “I’m sorry if I haven’t been able to respond to everyone — just got home after what felt like escaping a deeply disturbing psychological experiment.”
Additonally, she also revealed that she began writing an essay about her detention and plans to publish it soon.
“I refuse to let what happened break me; instead, I’m choosing to use my voice in the hope that it can help others.” She added.
ICE responds to Mooney’s detention
After the incident, a spokesperson for ICE confirmed to PEOPLE that Mooney was detained on March 3 for ‘not having legal documentation’ to be in the U.S.
Additionally, the agency stated that she was processed under President Donald Trump’s ‘Securing Our Border’ executive order, signed on January 20.
Mooney told CTV News that she was never informed why she had been detained. “No one told me anything. Not once,” she said. “I still don’t even know how I’m home.”
@globalnews.ca Canadian citizen Jasmine Mooney is back home after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained her at the border in San Diego as she was reapplying for her work visa. She describes the 12-day ordeal of being shipped to various facilities and comforting other women in custody. #ICE #US #Immigration #Canada