Florida

White House Responds to Petition Calling for Release of Weston Marine

The White House officially responded to a petition that’s received more than 134,000 signatures demanding the release of Weston-native Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi from a Mexican jail.

Sgt. Tahmooressi has been in jail since he was stopped in Mexico with multiple firearms on April 1. The weapons were registered in the United States and Tahmooressi, according to his family, took a wrong turn into Tijuana, Mexico when he was stopped.

“The U.S. State Department continues to provide extensive consular assistance to Mr. Tahmooressi, and will do so until his case is resolved,” the White House wrote in response to the petition. “As in all cases when a U.S. citizen is arrested overseas, our goal is to see that Mr. Tahmooressi is treated fairly during the judicial process with the hope that he can receive the support, both emotional and medical, that he may require now and at the conclusion of the proceedings.”

The White House response continued, “While we will not go into detail about our private diplomatic discussion on this case, U.S. officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry, have spoken to Mexican officials at the highest levels regarding Mr. Tahmooressi’s case.”

Tahmooressi’s case has gained the support of multiple elected officials, including Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Senator Marco Rubio, and Representative Duncan Hunter.

The White House said that “Mexican authorities have been very willing to engage on this issue” and that the Mexican officials have “provided prompt and continued consular access and visitations.”

The White House response did not call for the immediate release of Tahmooressi.

“We respect the rule of law and expect the judicial process of sovereign nations to protect other U.S. citizens who might find themselves in similar circumstances in the future,” the White House response said. “We will continue to monitor the case and work with the Mexican authorities as this case proceeds through the Mexican judicial system. We continue to urge the Mexican authorities to process this case expeditiously.”

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