Subscribe to RSS
Do you know who Andrew Tahmooressi is? Have you heard his name lately?
I live in San Diego, California and was exposed to this story because of a local radio host Mike Slater, who’s been covering this story from the beginning.
If you’re a San Diego native, you’ve probably accidentally driven into Mexico a few times on accident. Make a wrong turn, go too far on the freeway, and you’ll end up at the border.
Boom- You’re in Mexico. Most of us San Diegans joke about how they had to spend a few hours in Tijuana while a friend retrieved their passport and brought it to the border for them so they could come back into the United States. It makes for a good story.
Although Andrew Tahmooresi’s story is much different.
25 year old Andrew Tahmo0ressi served four years in the Marines including two tours in Afghanistan. He was a machine gunner and became section leader in charge of 15 Marines. He was later promoted to Sergeant before being honorably discharged.
After his service Andrew dropped his plans to become a pilot and broke up with his girlfriend. Then, he decided to move to California, packed up all his belongings and drove from Florida to California in March. He admitted he was depressed so when he arrived in San Diego he sought out help from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in La Jolla, where a doctor diagnosed him for post-traumatic stress disorder.
After nearly two weeks of living in San Diego Andrew was still looking for a place to live, some friends helping him navigate his new home invited him out for Tacos. On his way to meet his friends, he missed the exit on the 5 freeway and ended up at Tijuana’s El Chaparral Port of Entry with all of his belongings from moving, including 3 firearms, in his possession, all of which are legally registered in the US.
So you can see how easy it is to mistakenly end up in Tijuana, Mike Slater filmed the route Andrew drove the night he was arrested. You can watch the full video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJTIc0VecFI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofAJXc5TA9M
When confronted by the border officers, he immediately admitted that had 3 firearms in his car, and said he made a mistake and did not intend to enter Mexico. He was immediately arrested and taken into Mexican federal custody. That was on March 31st.
Since his arrest, Andrew has said he is extremely fearful, he’s tried to escape and failed, and he has attempted to harm himself by using a broken lightbulb to puncture his neck.
The charges against him include possession of two firearms meant for exclusive use of the Mexican military; bail is not permitted. If convicted, he faces six to 21 years in a Mexican prison.
Apparently dozens of U.S. citizens are arrested each month for unintentionally violating Mexico’s strict weapons laws, according to a warning by the U.S. State Department.
To top it off, this has happened before: In 1999, a Camp Pendleton Marine was detained for two weeks in Tijuana after driving into the country with firearms. The Marine claimed he did so by mistake, and a federal judge ordered his release after the Mexican Attorney General asked that all charges be dropped. Meanwhile, the United States government is releasing thousands of illegal immigrants from Mexico back onto the streets convicted of homicide, sexual assault, kidnapping, drunk driving, and more.
So why has Andrew Tahmoorhessi been incarcerated in Mexico for two months already? His mother Jill Tahmooressi is asking for public support to put pressure on the United States government to advocate for his release.
Please sign THIS PETITION to show your support for the Tahmoorhessi’s and advocate for Andrew’s release.
If we had a President with any kind of spine, he would have demanded Tahmoorhessi’s release from Mexico two months ago instead of allowing him to languish in a Mexican jail cell without treatment.
@jordan-bosstick thanks for the info I signed the petition.
And @Ross-Bryan-31 I completely agree, second that!
This is ridiculous, this guy should be out. And the fact that were freeing illegal criminals on our streets while a marine is in jail literally infuriates me.
@jordan-bosstick
@ross-bryan-31
@coffeeaddict
To expect any help from our Pretender-in-Chief is a pipe dream. If Sgt. Tahmoorhessi were a muslim terrorist who had threatened the U.S. in some way, oblamer would have had him out on day one.
What bothers me almost as much as Tahmoorhessi being imprisoned is the fact that this kind of thing has been going on for so long and the state, county, or city hasn’t done something to make sure that these roads are clearly posted to keep this kind of thing from happening, even if they had to put up flashing lights on the signs.
Current GOP logic would go something like:
He clearly left his post and deserted the country. Surely he is working for the drug cartel. So let him rut in foreign prison.
@epharmd @politikz @jlriggs57aol-com @coffeeaddict @ross-bryan-31 thanks for your responses.
A little update: I attended a rally at the Tijuana/San Diego border. There were about 150 people there I would say. Two local radio hosts including Mike Slater and Dr. Gina Loudon.
The White House petition asking President Obama and his administration to demand his release reached over 110,000 signatures. Apparently that is the typical amount of signatures needed in order to get a response from the President and his administration. No response yet as far as I know though.
John, its interesting you brought up the prisoner swap with the Taliban. Although, I would argue they are quite different. The Taliban, for example, is not our neighbor and does not have at minimum nearly 11 million of their people living here illegally. We don’t have guest worker programs for the Taliban here in the US which allow people to come here and shop, work, and live here every day. It should be much easier to get one of our soldiers back from Mexico, than from the Taliban. Although I think both are important.
Do I think we should trade 5 drug cartel officials for Tahmooressi? No. I think they should give him to us because he is a US marine. End of story. I wish the Taliban would have given us back our Bergdahl long ago, and I wish we could have worked out a better deal to get him home. I hope we can get Tahmooreessi home without compromising ourselves.
@jordan-bosstick
@ross-bryan-31
@coffeeaddict
@politikz
@epharmd
Rah, as I do not remember seeing you on Volkalize before, please allow me to give you a heads up. As you have probably noticed, almost all of those that have posted here have copied and pasted the @’s of all those that have posted before them, to keep everyone involved in the discussion. The only ones who know to do this, but don’t, will just pop in to throw an insult at someone or some group. They have nothing to add or contribute they just want to think they have really made a statement, when in fact they are just showing their lack of knowledge about the given topic.
John,……never mind, I covered you in my statement to Rah.
Jordan, it just occurred to me that Sgt. Tahmoorhessi makes a wrong turn and ends up in Mexico, in a Mexican jail. We allow millions of them to come into this country illegally, take our jobs, get welfare, free healthcare, and basically drain our economy, yet we’re the bad guys. We should make Mexico “an offer they can’t refuse”, either they free Tahmoorhessi or we’ll send all 11 million plus illegals back to them.
He’d be free 2 seconds after El Presidente hung up the phone.
When Tahmoorhessi wins his freedom, you’ll be able to count yourself among the few who cared enough to speak out on his behalf. Bless your heart!
“He’d be free 2 seconds after El Presidente hung up the phone.” <—-Love it!
@jlriggs57aol-com classic comment! Its pretty ridiculous that the President of Mexico is advocating for his citizens to be able to stay in the US. He doesn’t want them back! They are sending all of the people that cannot find work there here!
Although I have to agree with @JordanBosstick I think we should be able to easily bring our marine home. He was not a deserter. He was not reportedly searching for the Taliban. He was going to meet his friends for tacos and made a wrong turn. We just released 36,000 criminal illegal immigrants out of our prison system maybe Mexico can release just one US Marine.
@epharmd I am curious. Do you wonder at all if maybe the Marine worked with the Taliban? Or that he was going to look for the Taliban? Have you read the reports that were leaked from the CIA that they believed he was giving the Taliban vital information about the base he was stationed at?
It is actually understandable that he would give up info because he may have been tortured. I saw another report that said the fact that his face was cleanly shaven sends the message that they were using him for sex. I thought that was very strange. Ill look for the report but basically the expert was saying that they only shave men’s faces if they are sexually abusing them while they are prisoners. Pretty disturbing stuff.
I think its good that we brought him home, although I think we could have done it sooner, in a different way, under different circumstances, and not released 5 top Taliban officials.
I am sorry Jordan but I must disagree with you. I lived in San Diego for 24 years and it is very clear when you are about to drive into Mexico. And there is an enormous sign stating that guns are illegal in Mexico! For some reason people with guns continue to make excuses. I do not know what Sgt. Tahmooressi was doing with these weapons in the back of his car but he broke the law in another country. Mexico’s estimated death toll in the drug war is more than 120,000 and most if not all of the weapons come from America. It must have tough enforceable laws against weapons trafficking.
I support Sgt. Tahmooressi’s release and agree that the US government must do everything to bring him back. But this issue has nothing to do with illegal immigration or the 11 million undocumented residing in the US. The continued disrespect for Mexico which is our third top trading partner amazes me. Mexico is on its way to surpassing Brazil and India to the top ten economies in the world.
All of you should focus your anger and frustration at Americans and American business who break US laws not poor hungry animals.
Your lack of compassion and humanity is what drove me away from a party I voted and supported for more than 20 years.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
