I’m the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped
I’m the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped
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.
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[N]o matter how flawed the system, how cruel the circumstances, humanity will always shine through.
Even in the darkest places, within the most broken systems, humanity persists. Sometimes, it reveals itself in the smallest, most unexpected acts of kindness: a shared meal, a whispered prayer, a hand reaching out in the dark. We are defined by the love we extend, the courage we summon and the truths we are willing to tell.
idk this woman, but I'm so proud of her for using this media attention to do the right thing in a horrific situation.
The pictures of letters her cellmates gave her to get to their families, the moment where a wife sees her husband in the detention cells after being separated with no contact for weeks, the dehumanizing assembly line pregnancy tests.
It's a hard fucking read, but everyone should take 10-15 minutes and read the whole thing. This is basic knowledge of the system everyone in the world should be aware of, told by someone who has less to fear in reprisals than most of the folk who manage to escape.
Thanks for encouraging me to read the whole thing - I only skimmed first - well worth it