Canadian Businesswoman Detained in Arizona After Incomplete Visa Application

A Canadian Businesswoman's Ordeal

Jasmine Mooney, a 35-year-old Canadian businesswoman and co-founder of the Holy! Water health drink brand, is currently being held in an Arizona detention center under "inhumane" conditions. Her family has gone public with her story in an attempt to secure her release.

Mooney's ordeal began on March 3rd when she crossed the San Ysidro border between Mexico and San Diego. She was carrying an incomplete application for a new Trade NAFTA (TN) work visa after her first was unexpectedly revoked. She was detained for three nights at the border before being transferred to the Otay Mesa Detention Centre in San Diego for another three nights.

An online tracking system then indicated Mooney had been released, but she was instead transferred to the San Luis Detention Center in Arizona. Speaking to ABC's 10 News San Diego from the facility, Mooney described the conditions as "inhumane." She said she was forced to sleep on a mat with no blanket or pillow, wrapped in aluminum foil like a "dead body."

Mooney and 30 other women were then relocated to Arizona in the middle of the night, "wrapped in chains" for 24 hours. Her business partner, BJ McCaslin, described the situation as a "nightmare and living hell." He expressed concern for Mooney's well-being and questioned why she was being held without charges or access to her family.

Mooney's family and friends are pleading for her release, emphasizing that she is not a criminal and poses no threat. They are urging the Canadian government to intervene and secure her release from the detention center.