B.C. entrepreneur held at 'inhumane' U.S. detention centre due to visa issues
The mother of a B.C. woman is speaking out after she says her 35-year-old daughter was denied entry into the U.S. and is now being held at a detention centre in Arizona.
In a Facebook post published on Wednesday, Alexis Eagles said her daughter, Jasmine Mooney, attempted to cross into the U.S. from Mexico on March 3 with a “consulting visa for a company in the States.”
A 2019 article from Business BC named Mooney to its 30 under 30 list, noting that she moved to Vancouver in 2008 to study marketing and communications at BCIT and then enrolled at Vancouver Acting School a year later. The article noted she, along with her business partner at the time, Ted Wilkie, opened the popular Yaletown bar and restaurant The Banter Room in April 2017.
Mooney’s LinkedIn page says she was a “business consultant” for Holy! Water from January 2024 to 2025.
Eagles said that Mooney’s visa was denied upon entry into the U.S., and she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the San Ysidro border crossing near San Diego.
“From there, she was transferred to Otay Mesa Detention Centre in San Diego and held for another three nights,” wrote Eagles.
On March 9, she said an online tracking system showed her daughter had been released.
“We assumed this meant she was being deported and escorted to an airport. However, 24 hours later, there was no sign of her, no communication, and we were extremely worried,” she wrote.
‘They are not criminals’
The concerned mother said she soon learned that “about 30 people,” including her daughter, were “forcibly removed from their cells at 3 a.m. and transferred to the San Luis Detention Center in Arizona.”
“That group is now housed together at that centre in a single concrete cell with no natural light, fluorescent lights that are never turned off, no mats, no blankets, and limited bathroom facilities,” alleged Eagles.
She added that trying to get in touch with Mooney has been very difficult. “It is only thanks to one of her close friends with contacts in the U.S. that we have been able to receive updates.”
Photo Spirit/Shutterstock
ICE’s alleged treatment of detainees has only added to the worry shared by Mooney’s family, said Eagles.
“What we have learned of the ICE system and its treatment of detainees is inhumane and deeply concerning,” she stated.
“Being detained is one thing, but there’s NO excuse for the way people are treated while in custody or for the delays in deportation. They are not criminals, and they just want to go home.”
In an email response to Daily Hive, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said it is “aware of the detention of a Canadian citizen in Arizona.”
The federal department confirmed that consular officials are in touch with local authorities to provide additional assistance.
“Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed,” said the spokesperson.
Mooney speaks out from U.S. detention centre
On Wednesday, Austin Grabish, a reporter with ABC 10News San Diego, managed to make contact with Mooney at the detention center in Arizona.
She said she previously worked in L.A. on a TN visa, also known as a NAFTA Professional Visa, which allows Canadians and Mexicans to work in the U.S. in certain professional fields.
Jasmine Mooney (Change.Org)
Mooney told Grabish that her visa was initially revoked by a U.S. border officer at Vancouver International Airport when she was visiting home because her paperwork was missing an official letterhead.
She said she got a new job offer in L.A. and headed to the San Ysidro port of entry on March 3 to apply for legal status to work in the U.S. again. However, that’s when her visa troubles continued. She was not allowed to go back to Mexico, and an officer ordered her detainment.
In her Facebook post, Mooney’s mom said the family is doing everything they can to bring her back home.
“We are in touch with the Canadian consulate in San Diego, but there is little they can do. A lawyer is also working on her release, but progress is slow.”
An online petition has also been started, urging the Canadian government to step in and bring Mooney home safely.
In a press conference on Thursday, B.C. Premier Eby was asked about Mooney’s situation.
“It’s a terrible story, and my heart goes out to this family and this woman…,” he stated.
“The federal government should be doing all they can through diplomatic channels to get her return to Canada as quickly as possible.”
Eby added that he didn’t have “all the details” about Mooney’s case, but her experience “certainly reinforces the anxiety that many British Columbians have, and many Canadians have with the United States right now and the unpredictability of this administration and its actions.”
Daily Hive has reached out to ICE and U.S. Immigration Authorities, as well as Eagles, for further comment but did not hear back before publication.