The Canadian actress Jasmine Mooney earned fame for her role in American Pie Presents: The Book of Love while experiencing an unexpected and frightening 12-day detainment by ICE.
The uneventful visa process transformed into a terrible incident that forced her to spend 12 days in poor conditions while under detention.
Her 35-year-old work in Los Angeles as an actress was interrupted when she received news that authorities had withdrawn her TN work visa last November.
The woman navigated to a U.S. border entry point after airport staff blocked her from boarding to Los Angeles because her visa got revoked. She had followed legal counsel when deciding to apply for a new visa there.
The young actor relied on her proper documentation and welcomed employment contract before entering the San Ysidro border post between San Diego and Mexico on March 3.
What followed was a series of events that she ‘never in a million years’ expected.
Upon denial of entry into the United States Mooney found herself in ICE detention because the authorities did not send her back to Canada.
During her immigration detention the actress was moved between different detention centers where every transfer brought intensified chaos and suffering.
She described these detention circumstances as horrible because she received neither a pillow nor blanket while sleeping on the hard mat for which authorities gave her only an aluminum covering to stay warm.
Detainees lost sleep because staff kept all facility lights constantly on and personnel forced her through periods of frequent shackling and handcuffing.
Canadian detention staff wondered what her reason for detention was because they did not understand why their citizen would be kept in these conditions.
She spent twelve days as an undocumented detainee without knowing the reason for being confined.
The parents of Allison Eagles named Stephen Mooney and Alexis Eagles made statements about their daughter’s emotional battle and the authorities’ silence.
The visitor Stephen Mooney revealed through his statements that officials maintained his daughter in chains during her detention period while moving her unexplained to various sites.
The harsh situation her daughter endured stood out to Alexis Eagles who expressed her disgust about the frigid cells and nonstop lights that prevented her from resting.
At first Mooney felt emotionally burdened until realizing that her situation was better than many others she met in detention.
“Every single person in there is in a way worse situation than me,” she admitted, recognizing the hardships faced by others in detention.
During her detention Mooney chose to avoid pointing blame regarding the reason for her arrest.
She refused to blame any particular factor for her situation. “I really don’t know. People can choose whatever inferences they wish to make but the reality stands obvious.
ICE freed Mooney from custody after almost two weeks and transferred her to a flight that returned her to Vancouver.
The events of March 15 caused her to reach home at midnight with no clear understanding of what had occurred.
She remains uncertain about the processing of her entire experience because she continues to process it all honestly. I am trying to get everything done because I have no rest and no real meals since many days so I just function.
Canadian citizen Mooney cautions his fellow countrymen regarding border visa applications even though he experienced dire consequences from the immigration system.
The case has ignited public talks regarding ICE detention standards as well as clarification needs for their operational procedures.
Throughout her recovery journey Mooney intends to expose the struggles endured by people who lack opportunities for public advocacy.
Immigration came knocked on her before she had the chance to defend herself. Now that she understands this better she wants to speak up about fair immigration processes.
Through her experience Mooney highlights how American border enforcement strategies continue to directly affect people.
She had good fortune in her release from detention yet several other immigrants stay in detention facilities with comparable or inferior conditions while public scrutiny is minimal.
Mooney dedicates her time to life recovery together with using personal experiences to expose system weaknesses.
