I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped
www.theguardian.com
I was stuck in a freezing cell without explanation despite eventually having lawyers and media attention. Yet, compared with others, I was lucky

Summary

Canadian citizen Jasmine Mooney was detained by ICE for two weeks despite having a valid U.S. work visa. Stopped at the San Diego border, she was abruptly arrested, denied legal counsel, and held in freezing cells before being transferred to a private detention center.

She witnessed systemic inefficiencies, inhumane conditions, and detainees trapped in bureaucratic limbo.

After media attention and legal intervention, Mooney was released.

Her experience highlights the profit-driven nature of private detention centers and the broader failures of U.S. immigration enforcement under Trump’s administration.

  • AugustWestEnglish
    0•1 month ago

    This is the very significant part:

    The reality became clear: Ice detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit.

    Companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group receive government funding based on the number of people they detain, which is why they lobby for stricter immigration policies. It’s a lucrative business: CoreCivic made over $560m from Ice contracts in a single year. In 2024, GEO Group made more than $763m from Ice contracts.

    • @[email protected]English
      0•1 month ago

      At this point Canada should be playing hard ball. Ban all visas from anyone working for those companies, or anyone who delivers services to those companies for as long as they work for those companies. If they lie about who they work for, the ban is permanent and they personally are not allowed to set foot in Canada ever.

      • BarqsHasBiteEnglish
        0•1 month ago

        Why would those employees ever go to Canada to work or study (to need visas). There’s nothing to swing at.

        • @[email protected]English
          0•1 month ago

          People already bitch about not being able to go to Canada because they got a DUI. This is will absolutely cause someone’s vacation plans to be fucked up. But more importantly this should be a policy of the EU and Mexico too.