Jasmine Mooney, a Canadian actress known for her roles in the American Pie film series and the TV show iZombie, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Mexico-U.S. border and held in custody for 12 days.
Jasmine Mooney was released and returned to Vancouver on March 15.
Arrest at the Border
Mooney described her ordeal in an interview with Canadian news outlet CTV News while still in an Arizona detention center: “Without any warning about what was about to happen, I was arrested. I feel like I’ve been kidnapped… They took all my belongings and put me in a cell.”
She also spoke to San Diego radio station KGTV, where she described the conditions in detention as “inhumane,” claiming that she and other detainees were kept in chains for up to 24 hours at a time.
Harsh Detention Conditions
According to The Wrap, Mooney’s mother, Alexis Eagles, took to Facebook to denounce the situation, describing the detention conditions as “a single concrete cell with no natural light, fluorescent lights that never turn off, no mattresses, no blankets, and limited bathroom facilities.”
Upon her return to Canada, Mooney told the media: “To be honest, I’m still processing everything. I haven’t slept well in a long time, and I haven’t eaten properly either, so I’m just trying to get through it.”
Immigration Status and Legal Issues
Eagles emphasized in an interview with CTV News that her daughter was “a Canadian citizen with a valid passport” who was in the process of renewing her U.S. work visa and had a job offer from an American company.
However, an ICE spokesperson stated that Mooney did not have the necessary documentation to remain in the U.S. and that her detention was under U.S. immigration policies under then-President Donald Trump.
“All foreign nationals who violate U.S. immigration law are subject to arrest, detention, and, if deemed removable by final order, deportation from the United States, regardless of nationality,” the ICE representative said in an official statement.
The case has sparked debate about the treatment of detainees in U.S. immigration facilities and the strict enforcement of immigration policies affecting foreign nationals working in the country.