A Canadian woman's routine visa check turned into a two-week nightmare when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers suddenly detained her without explanation, sending her through multiple detention facilities in shackles despite having no criminal record and documented legal status.
As she writes in The Guardian, Jasmine Mooney, a businesswoman and actor from Vancouver, was detained at a San Diego border office while discussing her previously approved work visa. "There was no explanation, no warning," Mooney says. "One minute, I was in an immigration office talking to an officer about my work visa…The next, I was told to put my hands against the wall."
What followed was a harrowing journey through America's immigration detention system. Mooney was held in freezing cells under constant fluorescent lights, given mylar foil for blankets, and transferred between facilities in chains. Despite having lawyers, media attention, and resources advocating for her release, she remained detained without clear answers about when she would be freed.
Thirty of us shared one room. We were given one Styrofoam cup for water and one plastic spoon that we had to reuse for every meal. I eventually had to start trying to eat and, sure enough, I got sick. None of the uniforms fit, and everyone had men's shoes on. The towels they gave us to shower were hand towels. They wouldn't give us more blankets. The fluorescent lights shined on us 24/7. Everything felt like it was meant to break you. Nothing was explained to us. I wasn't given a phone call. We were locked in a room, no daylight, with no idea when we would get out.
The experience opened her eyes to a larger systemic issue. The detention centers are run by private companies that profit from detaining immigrants. CoreCivic made over $560 million from ICE contracts in one year, while GEO Group earned more than $763 million in 2024.
"Ice detention isn't just a bureaucratic nightmare. It's a business," Mooney writes. "These facilities are privately owned and run for profit… The more detainees, the more money they make. It stands to reason that these companies have no incentive to release people quickly."
Previously:
• ICE tortures and hospitalizes legal United States resident
