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Why No Canadian Should Ever Cross the U.S. Border Unless Absolutely Necessary [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-03-18
As reported in the Guardian today, Jasmine Mooney, a Canadian entrepreneur and actor known for her role in the American Pie franchise, has just lived through a nightmare that should serve as a stark warning to every Canadian thinking about crossing into the United States.
Mooney was detained for nearly two weeks in inhumane conditions by U.S. border authorities over what amounts to nothing more than an incomplete visa application. This shocking ordeal is not just an isolated case—it’s a glaring example of how Canadians can be treated like criminals at the U.S. border, even when they’ve committed no crime.
How It Happened
On March 3, Mooney, co-founder of the beverage brand Holy! Water, was attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico at the San Ysidro border crossing—the busiest land border in the world—when she was detained. Instead of being sent back to Canada or advised to fix her paperwork, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested her on the spot.
She was then locked in a detention center, despite having no criminal record and no charges against her. What followed was something out of a dystopian horror film.
Inhumane Conditions in U.S. Detention
Mooney was:
Kept in a concrete cell with no natural light.
with no natural light. Forced to sleep on the floor with no blanket or pillow , given only an aluminum foil sheet for warmth.
, given only an aluminum foil sheet for warmth. Denied access to proper food and rest for days.
for days. Chained and handcuffed every time she was moved.
every time she was moved. Subjected to round-the-clock fluorescent lighting, preventing her from sleeping.
At 3 AM one morning, Mooney and 30 other detainees were suddenly removed from their cells and transferred to another facility in Arizona without explanation.
“I have never in my life seen anything so inhumane,” Mooney said in an interview with ABC 10.
A Nightmare for Any Canadian
Her mother, Alexis Eagles, who lives in British Columbia, was horrified by what happened. “Instead of helping her fix her paperwork or simply sending her back to Canada, they threw her in a detention center like a criminal,” she told The Vancouver Sun.
This isn’t just about Mooney—it’s about the shocking and unpredictable treatment Canadians can face at the U.S. border. The fact that a well-known businesswoman and actor with an established visa history was subjected to this kind of abuse should alarm every Canadian considering a trip south.
The U.S. Border: A Dangerous Gamble
Mooney was eventually released and landed in Vancouver in the early hours of Saturday morning, utterly exhausted and shaken. “It felt like escaping a deeply disturbing psychological experiment,” she wrote on Instagram.
And yet, no explanation has been provided by U.S. officials for her treatment. No one has been held accountable. This could happen to any Canadian—entrepreneur, traveler, student, or visitor—at any time.
This is why no Canadian should ever cross the U.S. border unless it is absolutely vital. A short trip, a vacation, or a business visit is simply not worth the risk of ending up detained in an American prison, treated worse than a criminal for nothing more than a paperwork issue.
Until Trump and the rest of the GOP is gone, the U.S. border is not safe for Canadians.
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