Canadian entrepreneur and actress Jasmine Mooney is speaking out from an Arizona immigration detention center, claiming she was unjustly arrested while attempting to enter the US from Mexico to obtain a new work visa.
Mooney, co-founder of the Holy! Water brand, was previously working in Los Angeles on a TN visa, which was revoked after a US border officer in Vancouver took issue with her paperwork, 10News reported. When she attempted to re-enter via San Diego with a new job offer, she was detained and handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"Every single guard that sees me is like, 'What are you doing here? I don't understand – you're Canadian. How are you here?'" Mooney said from detention.
"I have never in my life seen anything so inhumane," she told reporters. She described conditions inside ICE custody, including being forced to sleep on a mat without a blanket for two and a half days, being served inedible food, and being shackled in chains for 24 hours during a transfer to Arizona.
Though ICE has not shared the reason for her detention, Mooney suspects it could be linked to Delta-9 hemp ingredients in her company's drinks, despite the product being federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill. Meanwhile, her best friend, Brittany Kors, is calling on the Canadian government to intervene, but officials say they have limited power over another country's immigration decisions.
Legal experts warn that US immigration authorities are increasingly detaining non-citizens for reasons that previously would not have warranted arrest.
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