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I'm the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks

theguardian.com

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Re: I'm the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks

#471

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

It is you that actually has to answer on which rules were broken and which countries do the same . Tbf asking questions to be answered by non-examples is disingenuous. If your argument (2) is that others do it, then you should provide concrete examples similar to the original article. If your argument (1) is that they did not follow some rules, you should either provide specific rules that the author did not follow,…

She tried to enter the country illegally and illegally apply for a work visa.

1) She co-founded a hemp drink company in California as a Canadian.

"Jasmine Mooney, an actor who is also co-founder of the beverage brand Holy! Water, was detained on 3 March in San Diego, California."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/18/canadian-act...

2) She applied for a TN visa that was sponsored by her own company, which is illegal.

"I was granted my trade Nafta work visa, which allows Canadian and Mexican citizens to work in the US in specific professional occupations, on my second attempt."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/canadian-det...

3) She self-sponsored her own TN visa through her company that she co-founded and this is illegal.

Visa Sponsorship Required

Contrary to popular belief, the TN visa classification does require an employer to “sponsor” an individual for TN visa work status.

The TN visa classification, unlike e.g. the E-2 visa, does not permit self-sponsorship.

https://www.bdzlaw.com/nafta-tn-blog/tn-visa-employer-obliga...

4) She was trying to enter the US illegally with an illegal work visa and even though the first TN was granted, she was likely detained because of the illegal nature of her TN visa application and the multiple attempts she made.

Everything ICE and CBP did was lawful.

Re: I'm the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks

#472

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about the new job offer makes you think it is fake?

You run a company in LA. Your visa is revoked. You show up at a different border shortly after with a novel job offer. Is it a genuine job offer or are you going back to run your company?

If that is all the evidence presented, then under the wild new concept of “innocent until proven guilty,” yes it is.

Re: I'm the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks

#473

If the objective is to scare people off from going to the USA, then they're doing a magnificent job. I've heard other cases of people with green cards being arrested and put in terrible conditions, with absolutely no reason given. This woman was ready to go back home and not enter the US, but instead she was dragged through hell and only released because she was Canadian. All those with different passports get subjec…

I wonder why agents in the field, customs, immigration etc, seem so eager to implement these changes.

You'll find people of Mexican ethnicity widely represented in ICE, Border Patrol, and other such orgs. People looking in from the outside might find this odd, but it's really quite simple. Getting into the US legally is hard, expensive, time consuming, and oh god - the paperwork. And eventually gaining citizenship makes gaining entry look like the easiest thing ever. So you go through all of this, and then somebody else pays some smugglers (enriching some of the worst of humanity), crosses illegally and now 'Yay - Yo soy Americano, hombre!' How do you think the former is going to feel about the latter?

It's also not just some American or Mexican thing. The same is true in many expat communities (of Americans) around the world. Actually maintaining your visa and other stuff in many places is frequently a massive PITA, expensive, time consuming, and so on. If somebody's there with the claim 'No you see bro, don't you understand I'm just an "undocumented migrant"', he's going to be held in very poor regard by most people there legally.

So even at the most basic level - illegal immigration is deeply unfair to people we want in the country. And that's just one aspect among many. The tales of things gone wrong, or simply of the emotional appeal of somebody trying to make a better life for themselves, can be very appealing - but it's but one dimension of an issue that has affects many, and has many consequences.

Re: I'm the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks

#474
post #284
post #101

Why do people want to live in the US and jump through all these hoops and be subject to arbitrary detentions, anyway? The bureaucracy is hellish. Many other countries have decent living conditions and don't randomly mistreat the people trying to make a living, nor do they behave understanding or cruel at the whim of whoever's in office. Or if they do, it's not as bad as in the US. Is it just that the US is closer to…

> Why do people want to live in the US and jump through all these hoops and be subject to arbitrary detentions, anyway? Lots of people, especially those from third world countries, don’t know what they are getting into. They’ve been brainwashed into believing “the American dream” (that anyone can find good jobs, be homeowners, etc.) by movies, television, social media, and other immigrants making money in the immigra…

I would again refer you to the Statue of Liberty, and what America once stood for. You might be right about the brainwashing from media, but there is an older, deeper story and promise of the United States as the land of the free.

I think there is even a song about it, "land of the free home of the brave" or something like that. I hear it occasionally at sporting events.

Re: I'm the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks

#475
post #4

My takeaway from this is that laws and rules don't matter if the officials on the ground are incompetent, ignorant, and have contempt for you. There is a lot of unnecessary cruelty and lack of due process in this story.

To some extent this has always been the case in the US fairly broadly. From living in cities in the Midwest I've heard stories from people I know and their interactions with police and luckily the stories aren't this bad but they are in the same vein of incompetence and cruelty with little recourse.

Re: I'm the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks

#476

I've been issued a five year bar for visiting someone in the US while unemployed. My immigration lawyer told me it's the weakest case he had ever seen. It took two years for the appeal to be approved. I had worked in the US on TN visas twice before, and never overstayed. It felt like they were just trying to meet a quota. Edit: I had applied for a GC years before this happened, so I think the officer thought I didn't…

When did that happen? If it took two years for the appeal to be approved, it must have happened a while ago.

Re: I'm the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks

#477

The specifics of this case are largely irrelevant to me, the fact is I am scared to cross the border into the US at this point. For the foreseeable future I will not be travelling to the US for any reason. Canada is safe and there is nothing in the US worth risking my freedom for. I will remain here and I will continue to avoid travel to America as well as spending money on American goods/services.

>The specifics of this case are largely irrelevant to me, the fact is I am scared to cross the border into the US at this point.

"I don't know Homer Simpson. I never met Homer Simpson or had any contact with him, but-- I'm sorry. I-- I can't go on."

"That's okay. Your tears say more than real evidence ever could."

Re: I'm the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks

#478
post #392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, she wasn't illegally entering the United States, so that's sort of moot.

She was. You didn't even do a modicum of research. She co-founded a hemp drink company in California and then self-assigned her own TN visa through the company she founded, which isn't allowed. Her visa was actually illegal and then she was found upon subsequent crossing. She tried to reapply and this time she was detained.

I need to determine if this is true. I had not heard of it before, and the idea she would qualify for a TN visa seemed a little thin, but the rules are so arbitrary and uneven (especially these days) who knows. Regardless this sounds like a nightmare, and to top it off is neither "DOGE-efficient" or increases US security. It's a least 4-combinations of lose-lose.

Re: I'm the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks

#479

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Yes, they should be afraid, just like it says at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty. rayiner, I'm wondering if your bloodline is 100% native american, because otherwise it seems like the person you are afraid of is yourself.

[deleted]

Re: I'm the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks

#480

What is the benefit of leaving the lights on 24/7? You weaken the inmate, but how does the prison make more profit from that?

Lowers guard costs. If you turn down the lights, you need more guards and they are more at risk. Lights on, they can easily see and react so you need fewer.
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