SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The parents of a Canadian entrepreneur who has been locked up in an ICE detention center for over a week say their daughter may be back on Canadian soil by Saturday.
“I am feeling incredibly optimistic. I am hoping that Jasmine is on her way home,” said Alexis Eagles, Jasmine Mooney’s mother, in an interview from British Columbia.
Mooney, 35, was detained by ICE after being denied entry at the San Diego border on March 3rd from Mexico.
The former actress and business entrepreneur got arrested under President Donald Trump’s “Securing Our Borders” executive order, according to an ICE spokesperson.
Mooney did not have legal documentation to be in the United States, according to ICE, which refused to say why she wasn’t simply denied entry and turned back to Mexico.
Eagles said that on Thursday morning, her family learned Mooney was scheduled to be transported out of ICE detention.
“We hope this means that she will be on a flight either [Friday night] or [Saturday] morning," she said.
Stephen Mooney told Team 10 that high-level conversations were happening in Washington about his daughter’s detention on Thursday between Canadian lawmakers who had connections with the Trump administration.
Late Thursday night, in a text to Team 10 from a detention phone, Mooney said, “They just told me I’m leaving this facility tonight. I think back to San Diego, but [it’s] unclear. I think I am going to finally be heading home soon.”
But the ICE detainee locator website said Mooney was still at the San Luis Regional Detention Center Friday morning.
Eagles, who hasn’t been able to speak directly to her daughter since she’s been detained, said she will remain on edge until Mooney is in the air.
“I’m holding my breath until I know for certain that she is on a plane," Eagles said.
ICE refused to confirm if Mooney was being deported on Friday.
“Due to operational security reasons, ICE does not confirm or discuss future/pending transportation operations,” a spokeswoman said.
The Canadian national told Team 10 Thursday that she has lost weight since being detained but didn’t want her parents to be alarmed.
“Mom, please do not worry. I'm going to be okay.”
Mooney had been living in Los Angeles on a previous visa that was revoked while she was working for a health tonic company.
She said she went to the border with a new job offer and visa application last Monday. The San Diego border is where her first visa was approved.
Mooney thought when border officers denied her entry, she would simply be returned to Mexico. Instead, she said she was locked in a cold cell and then placed in two immigration detention centers.
“I’m like 'Oh my goodness. I am in jail right now for genuinely wanting to make America healthier.' I don't understand how this happened," she said.
Investigative Reporter Austin Grabish can be reached at austin.grabish@10news.com
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