Jasmine M.: Canadian actress held 12 days in freezing ICE cells
Jasmine Mooney, a Canadian actress and beverage entrepreneur, was detained by U.S. border officials while applying for a work visa and held for 12 days in freezing cells before being transferred across three facilities.
Apr 2, 2025San Ysidro, CACountry of origin: Canada

Jasmine Mooney, a 35-year-old Canadian actress and co-founder of the beverage brand Holy! Water, was detained by U.S. border officials at the San Ysidro port of entry while applying for a TN work visa. She was held in a freezing holding cell for 48 hours with only a thin mat and foil blanket, then transferred to the Otay Mesa detention center in San Diego, where officials told her she was banned from the U.S. for five years. She was later moved to a jail in San Diego and then to an ICE detention center in Arizona, where she was held with other women, including asylum seekers from Iran and India, before being released after 12 days with help from media attention, lawyers and politicians.
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