I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped
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The reality became clear: Ice detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit.
Companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group receive government funding based on the number of people they detain, which is why they lobby for stricter immigration policies. It’s a lucrative business: CoreCivic made over $560m from Ice contracts in a single year. In 2024, GEO Group made more than $763m from Ice contracts.
At this point Canada should be playing hard ball. Ban all visas from anyone working for those companies, or anyone who delivers services to those companies for as long as they work for those companies. If they lie about who they work for, the ban is permanent and they personally are not allowed to set foot in Canada ever.
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The reality became clear: Ice detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit.
Companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group receive government funding based on the number of people they detain, which is why they lobby for stricter immigration policies. It’s a lucrative business: CoreCivic made over $560m from Ice contracts in a single year. In 2024, GEO Group made more than $763m from Ice contracts.
If a doctor has his license suspended and is not able to practice medicine in a normal hospital/doctors office, they are allowed to keep practicing medicine in prison systems. Poof, cut the costs of real medical doctors by employing those no one else can/will.
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Gotta love (A Bit of) Fry and Laurie.
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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.
[N]o matter how flawed the system, how cruel the circumstances, humanity will always shine through.
Even in the darkest places, within the most broken systems, humanity persists. Sometimes, it reveals itself in the smallest, most unexpected acts of kindness: a shared meal, a whispered prayer, a hand reaching out in the dark. We are defined by the love we extend, the courage we summon and the truths we are willing to tell.
idk this woman, but I'm so proud of her for using this media attention to do the right thing in a horrific situation.
The pictures of letters her cellmates gave her to get to their families, the moment where a wife sees her husband in the detention cells after being separated with no contact for weeks, the dehumanizing assembly line pregnancy tests.
It's a hard fucking read, but everyone should take 10-15 minutes and read the whole thing. This is basic knowledge of the system everyone in the world should be aware of, told by someone who has less to fear in reprisals than most of the folk who manage to escape.
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At this point Canada should be playing hard ball. Ban all visas from anyone working for those companies, or anyone who delivers services to those companies for as long as they work for those companies. If they lie about who they work for, the ban is permanent and they personally are not allowed to set foot in Canada ever.
Why would those employees ever go to Canada to work or study (to need visas). There's nothing to swing at.
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Wow, what a story. The kind of thing you'd expect from a 3rd world shithole country which I guess the USA is becoming.
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.
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Wow, what a story. The kind of thing you'd expect from a 3rd world shithole country which I guess the USA is becoming.
1st/2nd/3rd world terminology becoming increasingly outdated as America becomes aligned with Russia and Europe and Canada distance themselves.
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1st/2nd/3rd world terminology becoming increasingly outdated as America becomes aligned with Russia and Europe and Canada distance themselves.
Yeah, I was thinking that myself as I wrote my comment.
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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.
Sure wouldn't be a shame if something happens to Damon Hininger, current CEO of Core Civic.
"I've worked at CoreCivic for 32 years, and this is truly one of the most exciting periods of my career," CEO Damon Hininger said on the company's earnings call.
Throw these parasites in their own prisons.
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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.
