California

Mother of Jailed Marine Asks for Congressional Help

The mother of Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi was on Capitol Hill Wednesday talking to a room full of interested lawmakers as she continues to fight for his freedom from a Mexican jail.

“I was very pleased by the level of participation, because Congress isn’t in session right now,” Jill Tahmooressi said. “I was pleasantly surprised with the Congressmen and women who have come back to DC to hear about Andrew’s fight for freedom.”

Sgt. Tahmooressi has been in Mexican custody facing weapons charges since he was arrested at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on April 1 with three U.S.-registered guns in his possession. Jill said her son made a wrong turn in the dark while driving in southern California and crossed the border at San Ysidro.

Andrew has been in jail for several months and his mother said that what he’s going through in a Mexican prison is worse than the tours of duty he served in the Middle East wars.

“The phone calls I’ve received while he’s been in prison have been far worse than any of the calls I received in Afghanistan,” Jill said. “He nearly lost his life several times in the Mesa penitentiary,”

The hearing before a House Subcommittee was chaired by Representative Ed Royce and the subcommittee called for Mexico to release Tahmooressi immediately. Jill also had support from Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and talk show host Montel Williams.

“Since visiting Sgt. Tahmooressi at his prison in Mexico, I have become more committed than ever to ensuring his immediate released on humanitarian grounds,” said Representative Royce.

Tuesday, the family received some encouraging news after a psychiatrist appointed by the Mexican court system agreed that Andrew is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Lawyers for Andrew have called for his release saying he can’t be treated properly in a Mexican prison for PTSD.

“This is a marine who made a mistake. He suffered from an illness that we caused,” Williams said. “We caused it while he was protecting our democracy. We need to do everything we can to protect him in his hour of need.”

Jill said that she’s more encouraged now that more members of Congress are giving attention to her son’s problem with the Mexican system. She also said she’s “disappointed” in the amount of help she’s received from the White House.

“I was disappointed in the White House because I used the platform President Obama set up, which was “We the People,” and it was difficult to garner 100,000 signatures in 30 days, yet I did that on May 30,” Jill said. “The response, to me, was inadequate because it wasn’t direct enough. It wasn’t, yes, the president is aware of Sgt. Tahmooressi and he’s actually made a phone call to his counterpart. Instead it was, ‘we’re urging Mexico to expedite the judicial system.”

Contact Us