BC woman remains bound by “inhumanity” in a US detention center

Jasmine Mooney returned home after being detained by Ice earlier this month, applying for a work visa at the US-Mexico border.

When her permission was denied on March 3rd, she began searching for a home. But border security doesn’t allow that. According to Mooney’s mother, Alexis Eagles, she was “detained by immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) at the San Isidro border crossing where she stayed for three nights.”

“They said, ‘You’re not in trouble. You’re not a criminal. You did nothing wrong.” And you know I was taken away,” Mooney told 1130 Newsradio.

She was then transferred to several different facilities in California and Arizona.

“We eventually learned that around 30 people, including Jasmine, were forced to remove from the cell at 3am and moved to the San Luis Detention Center in Arizona,” the Eagles said in a Facebook post. “They are housed together in a single concrete cell with no natural light, no fluorescent lights, mats, blankets, no limited bathroom equipment.”

“No one deserves to go through it,” Mooney said of the experience.

During Mooney’s custody, BC Premier David Ebby said his heart was heading towards her.

“The federal government should do everything it can through diplomatic channels to get her back to Canada as quickly as possible,” Eby said.

He says the situation only strengthens anxiety about the tensions many British Colombians with the US.

“What about relatives who work in the state? What about crossing borders? What experience do we have? This has impacted the US economy through affected tourism, impacted business relationships, and impacted people seeking visas in the US who have special skills that cannot be reached anywhere else.

However, in a statement to Global Affairs Canada’s 1130 NewsRadio, the agency responsible for the country’s diplomatic and consular relationships, they were unable to intervene on Mooney’s behalf, while they knew Canadian citizens were being detained in Arizona.

“Consuls officials are in touch with local governments to gather additional information and provide consular assistance. Privacy considerations cannot reveal any further information,” Global Affairs said Thursday.

“All countries or territories determine who can enter and exit through the border. The Canadian government cannot intervene on behalf of Canadian citizens regarding entry and exit requirements of other countries.”

Len Sanders, an immigration lawyer in Blaine, Washington, said that he thought plans to renew San Isidro’s visa were dangerous, although he was a lifelong lawyer for one of Mooney’s friends. But today he told 1130 Newsradio that the entire ordeal that followed was unnecessary.

“I might simply send her to the next plane home,” he said. “They have detained her for weeks, weeks, and weeks. It was a total waste of government resources.”

But he said it was a symbol of how things have changed in the US

“It will be interesting to see the hypocritical incident in which Americans are detained overseas Russian citizens and how things will drag over the months and years,” Sanders said.

He said he believes that protests from the Canadian media helped force Mooney to release her.

“The US government hates bad propaganda, and there were reports from the US when the words came out in Canadian media,” he continued.

Now Mooney can adjust to her life at Abbotsford, but she says she still struggles to handle the entire ordeal.