Alexis Eagles said she is already planning for the return of her daughter, Jasmine Mooney, even though the two have not had direct contact for more than a week.
"I am incredibly worried about her," Eagles said in an interview Thursday from Abbotsford, B.C. "I know this is incredibly traumatic for her, and it's going to take some time to recover once she's home.
"It's tough when I'm powerless to do anything."
Eagles said Mooney, a Vancouver businesswoman and former actress, is being detained at the San Luis Regional Detention Center in Arizona in "inhumane and deeply concerning" conditions after trying to enter the United States from Mexico on a new visa that was "denied."
In a Facebook post, Eagles said Mooney is being housed with about 30 people in the same cell. She said her daughter is not a criminal, and there was no reason why her deportation had been delayed.
"They are housed together in a single concrete cell with no natural light, fluorescent lights that are never turned off, no mats, no blankets, and limited bathroom facilities," Eagles said in the social media post.
Global Affairs spokesman John Babcock said in response to questions about Mooney that the government was in contact with local authorities in Arizona about the detention of a Canadian.
But Babcock said Global Affairs can't intervene regarding entry and exit requirements of another country, and consular officials were seeking to "gather additional information and to provide consular assistance."Â
He said that privacy considerations meant no more information could be disclosed.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Thursday that Mooney was detained on March 3 "for not having legal documentation to be in the United States" and was processed in accordance with U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order in January titled "Securing Our Borders."
A response from the agency said that according to the order, "all aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the U.S., regardless of nationality."
Eagles, who said she found out about Mooney's detention through a family friend, noted that her daughter had been working in the United States but was detained at the San Ysidro U.S.-Mexico border crossing near San Diego, Calif., on March 3.
She said the family has received an update from a third-party that Mooney may have a tentative release date of March 24, which — if true — remains "still too far away."
"By then, she'll have been in custody for three weeks," Eagles said. "That's twice as long as she's been there already. And so we want to get her home as soon as possible."
B.C. Premier David Eby said he was urging the federal government to do "all they can through diplomatic channels" to ensure Mooney's return.
Eby said that while he didn't know the details behind the case, the incident was reinforcing anxiety from Canadians about their southern neighbours, stemming from the current rancour in the U.S.-Canadian relationship.
"The nature of our relationship is so fraught right now that this case makes us all wonder, what about our relatives who are working in the States?" Eby said Thursday.
"What about when we cross the border? What kind of an experience are we going to have?"
Eagles said she had already determined she "would not be travelling to the States for the foreseeable future" in response to the actions of the United States under the Trump administration, but her daughter's ordeal has "solidified" her mindset.
Mooney's LinkedIn profile says she has been working as a business consultant in California and is involved in a canned water company.
Eagles said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that Mooney was held at the border for three days, then moved to San Diego before she and others were "forcibly removed from their cells at 3 a.m." and sent to the Arizona facility around March 9.
"What we have learned of the (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) system and its treatment of detainees is inhumane and deeply concerning," Eagles said in the post.
"Being detained is one thing, but there’s NO excuse for the way people are treated while in custody or for the delays in deportation. They are not criminals, and they just want to go home."
Movie industry website IMDb shows Mooney has film credits in movies as recent as 2015's "Badge of Honor," as well as "American Pie Presents: The Book of Love" and "Kid Cannabis."
In 2019, Mooney was named one of BC Business magazine's "30 under 30" young business people to watch for her involvement in Vancouver's Banter Room restaurant.
The San Luis Regional Detention Center is a privately run facility about 30 kilometres south of Yuma, Ariz.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2025.
