I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped
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Inhabitant of a 3rd world country here
I don't think "kidnapped and tortured by the government" is a thing we've done much of since the US stopped funding our far right dictatorship in the 80s (and the military immediately fucked off and 'let democracy take its course' when the funding dried up).
.... Let us not speak of what our criminal factions get up to though.
So I've always wondered,
Are criminal factions avoidable in whatever country that is?
Like here in the US we always hear random horror stories about Mexican cartels, but we almost never hear about crimes elsewhere in the world. Honestly, I've kind of assumed that crime is a made up American thing to put minorities in jail.
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What an f'ing disgrace. She went to an American government office to apply legally for a visa. The absolute worst consequence should have been "we're sorry, we can't process your Visa and you'll need to return to your home country."
That's it.
This is a minor point compared to her suffering, but also, what an f'ing waste of taxpayer money. Some private facilities got good money I'm sure to lock this innocent lady up.
We were reminded by the last two months or so that it's only a waste of taxpayer money if it doesn't go directly to the pocket of some rich dude.
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Summary
Canadian citizen Jasmine Mooney was detained by ICE for two weeks despite having a valid U.S. work visa. Stopped at the San Diego border, she was abruptly arrested, denied legal counsel, and held in freezing cells before being transferred to a private detention center.
She witnessed systemic inefficiencies, inhumane conditions, and detainees trapped in bureaucratic limbo.
After media attention and legal intervention, Mooney was released.
Her experience highlights the profit-driven nature of private detention centers and the broader failures of U.S. immigration enforcement under Trump’s administration.
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So I've always wondered,
Are criminal factions avoidable in whatever country that is?
Like here in the US we always hear random horror stories about Mexican cartels, but we almost never hear about crimes elsewhere in the world. Honestly, I've kind of assumed that crime is a made up American thing to put minorities in jail.
"Honestly, I've kind of assumed that crime is a made up American thing to put minorities in jail."
It's definitely not made up, although it may be exaggerated and positioned to drive fear.
I've been to a couple dozen countries at this point, primarily but not exclusively in low and medium low income countries.
Based on my experience (which is, in sum total, still pretty limited), organized crime groups will often try to avoid stirring up trouble with tourists and expats as incidents can generate too much heat and could hurt too many wallets.
I also got the impression that organized crime groups in most countries typically try to avoid stirring up too much stuff with locals as that too can draw heat. This is assuming that the locals likewise try to avoid stirring things up with organized crime members.
People living in Mexico may in many cases may be more exposed. Then you've got failed and near failed states like the DRC where things are really, really dire.
There often are areas that are best to avoid and if you do go there, you'll want to keep a low profile. This is true in the USA, parts of Europe, and many low and medium low income countries. I've ended up in some pretty shady areas through life but never had anything happen. That said, the risks are heightened.
There are also safe low and middle income countries that are, at least with violent crime, much safer than the USA and other high income countries. Examples: Malaysia (upper middle income), Vietnam, Costa Rica.
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We were reminded by the last two months or so that it's only a waste of taxpayer money if it doesn't go directly to the pocket of some rich dude.
"rich dude."
Hey, whoa whoa whoa, there are plenty of elitest female grifters as well! Equal'ish opportunity!
/s
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She was abducted and tortured by the US government. That's the plain, simple, horrific truth.
ICE is our very own Gestapo.
never change leemy.
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So I've always wondered,
Are criminal factions avoidable in whatever country that is?
Like here in the US we always hear random horror stories about Mexican cartels, but we almost never hear about crimes elsewhere in the world. Honestly, I've kind of assumed that crime is a made up American thing to put minorities in jail.
The country is Brazil.
If you are unfortunate enough to live in the favelas (aka: Very very poor in a big city), you'll be under their thrall.
But the little secret is that.... They end up being not that different from the government. They have their own 'laws', and if you follow them, you'll be left alone. Their protection rackets become like taxes, except instead of going to jail for not paying, you'll get tortured -- And you might even benefit from them in a way.
A friend of mine tells a story about doing social work in a favela, and how after years of neglect from the government resulting in kids from the place not getting vaccinated, the local crimelord bought the vaccines with his own money and had his own paralell vaccination campaign for everyone that was properly paying their protection money. Hopefully you won't catch a stray bullet when the illegal liege lord of your neighbourhood-fiefdom is at war with the police or another neighbourhood-fiefdom's illegal lord for the umpteenth time that year.
If you are not in the favela....
... Well.... If you buy weed from a dealer or borrow money from illegal lenders and don't pay your bills, they'll probably abduct you and break your legs.
If you do none of those things... You might get pickpocketed or mugged, but that is honestly the extent of interactions that I, a rich boy from the third world, have had with the criminal factions of my country. Muggings. Being threatened and told to hand over my phone (which I did, I'm not stupid). Having a gameboy swiped from my bag while at an anime con.
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Why would those employees ever go to Canada to work or study (to need visas). There's nothing to swing at.
If you're working around the northern border, then yeah, you probably go into Canada once in a while.
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If you're working around the northern border, then yeah, you probably go into Canada once in a while.
Most Americans don't even have a passport.
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Why would those employees ever go to Canada to work or study (to need visas). There's nothing to swing at.
There's more employees than just the border guards themselves. There's the HR, the IT, Accountants, Legal etc etc. Block all of them. If those services are contracted out, ban those companies as well. Might be a bit troublesome with companies like Amazon or Microsoft, but since you're banning individual workers rather than whole companies it might work out a little easier.
Make it so the deal is "If you associate with this company and you aren't a Canadian citizen, you are personally not allowed to enter Canada"
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There's more employees than just the border guards themselves. There's the HR, the IT, Accountants, Legal etc etc. Block all of them. If those services are contracted out, ban those companies as well. Might be a bit troublesome with companies like Amazon or Microsoft, but since you're banning individual workers rather than whole companies it might work out a little easier.
Make it so the deal is "If you associate with this company and you aren't a Canadian citizen, you are personally not allowed to enter Canada"
Who ever said it's limited to guards? The whole point is why would they being going to Canada for work or study, which is what requires a visa. You don't just meander over the border for a day of work.
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never change leemy.
24 hour light is considered torture. Imprisoning someone without telling them why, how long, or what should happen next is also considered torture. They are literal torture techniques practiced in countries without human rights.
Then there's the stories of people needing medical attention after border patrol "interrogated" them.
This. Is. Not. Normal.
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Why would those employees ever go to Canada to work or study (to need visas). There's nothing to swing at.
People already bitch about not being able to go to Canada because they got a DUI. This is will absolutely cause someone's vacation plans to be fucked up. But more importantly this should be a policy of the EU and Mexico too.
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Most Americans don't even have a passport.
You absolutely need a visa. Just because you don't personally have to apply does not mean you aren't on a visa. And Canada already has a blacklist at the border. Adding more names is super easy.
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never change leemy.
what is leemy and why would or wouldn't I want to change it
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The country is Brazil.
If you are unfortunate enough to live in the favelas (aka: Very very poor in a big city), you'll be under their thrall.
But the little secret is that.... They end up being not that different from the government. They have their own 'laws', and if you follow them, you'll be left alone. Their protection rackets become like taxes, except instead of going to jail for not paying, you'll get tortured -- And you might even benefit from them in a way.
A friend of mine tells a story about doing social work in a favela, and how after years of neglect from the government resulting in kids from the place not getting vaccinated, the local crimelord bought the vaccines with his own money and had his own paralell vaccination campaign for everyone that was properly paying their protection money. Hopefully you won't catch a stray bullet when the illegal liege lord of your neighbourhood-fiefdom is at war with the police or another neighbourhood-fiefdom's illegal lord for the umpteenth time that year.
If you are not in the favela....
... Well.... If you buy weed from a dealer or borrow money from illegal lenders and don't pay your bills, they'll probably abduct you and break your legs.
If you do none of those things... You might get pickpocketed or mugged, but that is honestly the extent of interactions that I, a rich boy from the third world, have had with the criminal factions of my country. Muggings. Being threatened and told to hand over my phone (which I did, I'm not stupid). Having a gameboy swiped from my bag while at an anime con.
Honestly? That sounds no different than living in the lowest income areas in the US.
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You absolutely need a visa. Just because you don't personally have to apply does not mean you aren't on a visa. And Canada already has a blacklist at the border. Adding more names is super easy.
You do not need a Canadian passport, a Canadian visa or an eTA to enter Canada if you are travelling with a valid U.S. passport.
https://ircc.canada.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=1116&top=16
For tourist visits to Canada of less than 180 days, U.S. citizens do not need visas. Other types of travel generally require visas. Visit the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website for current information.
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1st/2nd/3rd world terminology becoming increasingly outdated as America becomes aligned with Russia and Europe and Canada distance themselves.
The correct modern terms are Global North and Global South. But 1st/2nd/3rd are taking on a new meaning of Highly Developed/Developing/Undeveloped. Cold War era political scientists are raging against but it's much more easily understood than Global North and Global South which also extend the idea that Northern countries are superior. (The given reasoning is that Northern countries are better developed on average, but come on...)
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24 hour light is considered torture. Imprisoning someone without telling them why, how long, or what should happen next is also considered torture. They are literal torture techniques practiced in countries without human rights.
Then there's the stories of people needing medical attention after border patrol "interrogated" them.
This. Is. Not. Normal.
Exactly. Our detention facilities are literally designed for torture. People will say they are simply built cheaply or carelessly, but I don’t buy it. These places are specifically designed to maximize psychological suffering. And there is absolutely no reason why they need to be that way.
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Honestly? That sounds no different than living in the lowest income areas in the US.
That was my thought
