Family 'optimistic' that B.C. woman detained in U.S. will be back within 24 hours

Jasmine Mooney, right, poses for a selfie with her mom Alexis Eagles in an undated handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Alexis Eagles, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — The family of a Vancouver woman detained in the United States after her visa was denied at a border crossing in California says she may be home “in the next 24 hours.”

Jasmine Mooney has been in the custody of U.S. immigration authorities since March 3, and Alexis Eagles, Mooney’s mother, says the businesswoman and former actress is scheduled to be transported back to California from an Arizona detention centre on Friday.

Eagles says in a written response that Mooney’s lawyer has informed the family of the development, and she believes her daughter is en route from the San Luis Regional Detention Center back to Otay Mesa, Calif., near San Diego.

The mother says they have booked a flight for Mooney to return to Canada, but there has been no confirmation if she will be put on the plane — although the family is “optimistic.”

Mooney was detained at the U.S.-Mexico border after Immigration and Customs Enforcement said she didn’t have legal documentation to be in the United States.

The agency says Mooney was processed in accordance with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order that subjected “all aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law” to possible arrest.

Eagles says her daughter was placed in “inhumane” conditions in a cell holding 30 people with limited bathroom facilities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2025.