US congressman seeks release of Marine veteran jailed for driving into Mexico with guns

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

US congressman seeks release of Marine veteran jailed for driving into Mexico with guns
By Julie Watson, The Associated Press May 2, 2014 7:50 PM

SAN DIEGO - SAN DIEGO (AP) — A California congressman sent a letter Friday to Secretary of State John Kerry asking him to secure the release of a U.S. Marine veteran jailed in Tijuana after he drove into Mexico with three legally owned guns in his truck last month.

Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter said in the letter that Afghanistan war veteran Andrew Tahmooressi had just moved to San Diego from Florida and had all his belongings in his truck, including his pistol, shotgun and rifle, when he missed the last U.S. exit on April 1, forcing him to cross the border.

Road closures because of checkpoints and construction added to the confusion, and there was no opportunity for drivers to turn around, Hunter added.

The 25-year-old was arrested by Mexican federal authorities on weapons charges and is being held at the La Mesa Penitentiary in Tijuana. Mexican officials could not be reached for comment Friday.


Read more: http://www.canada.com/news/Calif+congressman+seeks+release+exMarine+jailed+driving+into+Mexico/9801735/story.html

[Agnosticsherbet]

1. That is sad, but people should be aware that foreign countries don't have quite the love affair

with guns that we have here.
To paraphrase the old song.

Don't take your guns to Mexico son
Leave your guns at home bill.
Don't take your guns to Mexico.

[Crowman1979]

2. I lost count of how many safety briefs my unit had at MCAS Yuma about not bringing guns to Mexico.

In this former Marine's opinion, that is either an idiot or was involved in illegal activity.

[russspeakeasy]

7. + 1

[seveneyes]

27. Did you read the story?

"Afghanistan war veteran Andrew Tahmooressi had just moved to San Diego from Florida and had all his belongings in his truck, including his pistol, shotgun and rifle, when he missed the last U.S. exit on April 1, forcing him to cross the border.

Road closures because of checkpoints and construction added to the confusion, and there was no opportunity for drivers to turn around, Hunter added. "

Sounds like he had no intention of leaving the USA.

[Lost In America]

33. "Did you read the story"

Have you ever driven on I-5 south of San Diego?

If not, you have no idea how easy it is to find yourself in the Mexico only lanes, especially if you've just moved to the area and aren't sure of your bearings.


Your snark is duly noted, and completely unnecessary.

[seveneyes]

34. Wrong attribution

I believe you intended to respond to the crowman posting, not mine.

[avebury]

3. Gun owners need to remember that their

second amendment rights cease at the US Border.

[razorman]

36. Along with First Amendment and Miranda rights, etc.

[msongs]

4. unlike the usa, in mexico well regulated means something lol nt

[petronius]

5. If he was new to the area and likely not intending to cross the border it's correct

and appropriate for the US to advocate on his behalf (especially if there really was construction and confusing signage in the area.) But it was extremely unwise for him to actually cross the line - I would have pulled to the shoulder and accepted a ticket and tongue-lashing from CHP before going ahead...

[aggiesal]

11. I live in San Diego ...

As you get closer to the border, there are huge signs indicating [FONT COLOR=RED]"LAST US EXIT"[/font].

You either can't read or can't follow directions.

They are not confusing!!!

[petronius]

13. I lived in SD for 5-6 years, grew up and live in CA, and have both crossed and

traveled along the border from CA to the GOM - it does not seem odd at all to me that a newcomer to CA might get trapped or confused in CA traffic (near the border or elsewhere). He should have hit the brakes and taken his licks from CHP, but absent other evidence, smuggling or other criminality is pretty far down the likelihood list, IMO...

[aggiesal]

14. There are signs 3 miles from the border that ...

display the "LAST US EXIT".

Then when you get .5 miles from the "LAST US EXIT", there are overhead signs
indicating which 3 lanes lead to Mexico and 2 lanes for the "LAST US EXIT".

It is not difficult.

[Adrahil]

21. So, let him rot 'cause he screwed up?

Not a good policy, IMO.

[aggiesal]

22. I never said or implied that ...

I was just pointing out that the signs to Mexico ard really obvious.

In my opinion, and it's just an opinion, I have no proof, but I believe the soldier
was transporting guns into Mexico and got caught.

If this was accidental, and it happened as described in the story, this should be able to prove,
otherwise he should have to live with its consequences.

There now I did say it.

[MurrayDelph]

17. If this was 50 years ago

I might believe him, as our family was out for a drive and my dad missed the last exit (and we turned around crossed back as soon as we could).

But as long as 20 years ago, I was in San Diego for work and went shopping at the outlet mall next to the border. There was no missing the warning signs.

[petronius]

23. It's a matter of opinion I suppose, and we won't really know unless there's a

Last edited Sat May 3, 2014, 08:59 PM - Edit history (1)

followup, but my experience of driving in CA (and elsewhere, of course) is that there is no vehicular screw-up so boneheaded, egregious, simple-minded, improbable, and stupid that some idjit isn't doing it on one of our highways right this very minute. IOW, notions like "it's not difficult," "no one could miss that sign," or "no one could possibly make that mistake!" aren't worth the pixels they're printed in.

My opinion, absent other evidence, is that innocent fuck-up really is the most likely explanation here. In this case, I can easily see a stranger getting confused, blocked in the wrong lane, freezing up, hoping for a roundabout at the border itself, whatever. (None of which changes the fact that he did break Mexican law, and Mexico is entitled to enforce their laws as they see fit.)

But more importantly, advocating for citizens imprisoned abroad - working to ensure their safety and fair treatment - is a legitimate function of the US government, one that I support no matter how reprehensible the Congressperson requesting the intervention may be...

[Thinkingabout]

6. May have been a good way to try to show one's self as not knowing

and play dumb in order to smuggle weapons to Mexico, wonder how many time he was able to complete such tasks before he was caught. Take guns into Mexico and take drugs out.

[Judi Lynn]

8. If it works for him this time, they're off to the races, just like "Stand your ground." n/t

[stone space]

9. Don't take your guns to town

[Duckhunter935]

10. happened a few times in El Paso

Put big signs up along the freeway. One of our soldiers was arrested for taking empty magazines and his helmet in his vehicle across the border. Cost him several thousand dollars and a few days in jail before he was released.

[Aristus]

12. No sympathy.

Dumb fuck should have known better...

[rocktivity]

20. And apparently it's contaigous

Here's another Florida Marine with PTSD who was allegedly informed by Customs that he could register his shotgun in Mexico. He was released five months later:
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/-South-Florida-Marine-Veteran-Jailed-in-Mexico-to-Be-Freed-Congresswomans-Office-Says-184426051.html


rocktivity

[Xithras]

31. Yep. He should have STOPPED HIS TRUCK.

There was a guy who nearly did the same thing a few years ago. Missed the last exit and nearly drove into Mexico with his guns. You know what HE did? He stopped his truck in the middle of the roadway at the border crossing before passing into Mexico. Customs/Border agents came right over to find out what the problem was. Once he explained the problem, they were able to turn him around.

Committing a federal felony in another country because you want to avoid a TRAFFIC TICKET is idiotic.

[rocktivity]

15. Duncan Hunter -- of Honey Glazed Chicken Gitmo Style fame?

Last edited Wed Oct 31, 2018, 04:43 PM - Edit history (9)

Who runs the House Armed Services committee? And who wants to nuke Iran? Why is he sticking his neck out for this guy?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1547753

Hunter wrote that Tahmooressi was recently treated at the prison infirmary for a knife wound to his neck, Hunter said...

Jill Tahmooressi said her son moved to San Diego to get treatment for his recently diagnosed post-traumatic stress, after returning from his second tour to Afghanistan in 2012. He finished active duty in 2012 and is now in the Marine Reserve....

(She) said her son took one wrong turn in the dark and found himself in Mexico. She visited him April 14, and he told her he initially was threatened by other detainees, though he did not explain the neck wound. He told her he had been placed in solitary confinement briefly. He called her Sunday and told her has been chained to a cot.

When he was picked up, was he in process of driving to his new home in San Diego (20 miles north of the border), or did he miss all THOSE exits, too? If he was confused by the construction and checkpoints, why didn't he ask for directions at a checkpoint? And given his condition, I have to wonder if his neck wound was self-inflicted; if he was actually restrained to his bed -- and if he got his diagnosis and decided to leave the country.


rocktivity

[rocktivity]

28. DING DING DING! Rocktivity, you're our grand prize winner!

And given his condition, I have to wonder if his neck wound was been self-inflicted; if he was actually restrained to his bed...

After being taken into Mexican custody...He was held for two days in a border detention center before being transferred to La Mesa Penitentiary. While in general population, he attempted to escape the facility, scaling a barbed-wire fence. He was then placed in solitary confinement, where he reportedly stabbed himself in the neck with a bottle...

Tahmooresi was treated and placed in the infirmary, where he was bound to the bed to prevent escape... (link)

Hooray for me...


rocktivity

[mike_c]

16. there are signs up and down the highway before the border crossing...

...warning not to cross the border with guns. I wonder if he can read?

[Ash_F]

18. If he could he would have been disqualified from the Marines.

I kid. A little bit.


But seriously, he missed an exit. It could have happened quick. Justice should be proportionate.

[rocktivity]

19. According to this story, he was shackled because he tried to escape

Last edited Mon May 5, 2014, 12:49 PM - Edit history (1)

U.S. Marine from Weston Being Detained in Mexico Prison on Weapons Charge

...Tahmooressi, who was in the San Diego area to receive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, is shackled to a cot with his limbs restrained following an escape attempt at the La Mesa penitentiary...

U.S. officials have visited Tahmooressi at least nine times since his arrest...Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who lives in Weston, said she is supporting the family. "The Congresswoman...instructed her staff to get in touch with the State Department right away to ensure that Andrew’s case was being handled as expeditiously as possible. Our office will remain in close contact with the State Department as the trial approaches, and will continue to be of service to the family where we can and when appropriate," a statement from Wasserman Schultz's office read.

Tahmooressi's trial is expected to begin on May 28.

Responsible gun ownership includes knowing how -- and where -- you can transport them.


rocktivity

[ManiacJoe]

24. According to Google maps,

if you miss that last exit, you will need the help of the cops/BP to get to the north-bound lanes without crossing the border.

[rocktivity]

25. And wasn't he aware that San Diego is NORTH of the border?

The very fact that he was heading TOWARD Mexico didn't give him a clue?


rocktivity

[ManiacJoe]

26. The article makes no mention of his intended destination.

There are lots of places between San Diego and the border.

[jmowreader]

29. There are border checkpoints on both sides of the line

If the guy was actually doing what he says he was doing, when he got to the Mexican border control checkpoint couldn't he have just said to the guard, "I took a wrong turn, where can I turn around?" There's GOT to be some way they turn around the drunk Americans they don't want contaminating Mexico, correct? And as long as the dumbass had the guns out of sight, how would they know?

Yeah, I think this is less an estupido americano who can't read signs, than an estupido americano who was attempting a little gun-walking and got nailed.

[rocktivity]

30. Do you HAVE TO stop at the checkpoints?

As I asked upthread, why didn't he ask for help at a checkpoint? Are you routinely asked for ID and your destination? And how many of them are they?


rocktivity

[jmowreader]

32. Even if you didn't have to, he could have

I'm looking at the Google Maps pictures of the border crossing. You have to drive under this canopy that has guards in reflector vests under it, and just a little bit past that there's a gate with a "Retorno" sign on it. If you fuck up and go to Mexico when you don't want to, they can easily get you turned around.

Now I'm seeing he did this at night, when the traffic would be thinner.

Sorry guys, this doesn't appear accidental.

[Judi Lynn]

35. Marine vet moved from Tijuana's La Mesa prison

Marine vet moved from Tijuana's La Mesa prison
By Sandra Dibble8:45 p.m.May 9, 2014


[font size=1]
Andrew Tahmooressi during an interview last week at La Mesa State Penitenciary. — Alejandro Tamayo [/font]

A U.S. Marine veteran behind bars in Baja California on federal firearms charges has been moved from La Mesa Penitentiary in Tijuana to another state facility east of Tecate.

Andrew Tahmooressi was transferred to El Hongo II State Penitentiary on Thursday, according to a statement issued Friday by the Baja California Public Safety Secretariat. He will be isolated from other inmates, the statement said.

Tahmooressi, a 25-year-old Florida native, has been in custody since March 31, when he said he missed the last Interstate 5 exit on his way to meet friends for dinner in San Ysidro and accidentally found himself at the El Chaparral crossing. He was arrested after Mexican Customs inspectors found his three U.S.-registered weapons and ammunition in his Ford F-150 truck. If convicted of the federal charges, he could face six to 21 years behind bars in Mexico.

The case has won widespread attention in the United States, generating calls for Tahmooressi’s release. His arrest has now has begun to generate increasing -– and far less sympathetic -– discussion in the Mexican media. His next court date is scheduled for May 28, but he could be released sooner if the federal Attorney General’s Office in Mexico City withdraws the charges.

More:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/may/09/marine-tijuana-weapons-mexico-border-la-mesa/

[karynnj]

37. In all these stories, I never have seen a mention of the fact that Texas executed

a Mexican national, who killed a police man. In a violation of international law, Texas did not involve the embassy when he was arrested and ignored the Mexican government's plea that he not be executed. (Mexico has no death penalty.)

I am NOT equating the two - one was a murder the other at worst gun running (if he is lying). However, at the time Mexico did go to the SoS and Kerry did appeal to Texas -- even stating that ignoring this could lead to problems when Americans are arrested in Mexico.

The right wing articles, think that all Obama (or Kerry) have to do is call the Mexicans and they will release him. I assume it would be easier if they owed us a favor. Blame Texas!

[rocktivity]

38. (On) May 28, 2014...Andrew Tahmooressi will appear in a Tijuana courtroom

for a statement of evidence hearing concerning his entrance into Mexico on March 31, 2014 with three weapons, including an assault rifle...(and)...four hundred rounds of ammunition...in his pick-up truck...(He) has maintained that he missed the last exit back to the USA and entered Mexico by accident...(but)...(t)he Marine’s story has...varied since the date of his arrest.

Originally, it was reported that this was the first time he had ever been to Mexico. Later, it came to light that he had been to Tijuana on at least six occasions before...If he really did miss the U-turn to the U.S. exit (which is located in the far left lane)...then at least why didn’t he go through the ‘declaration lane’ conveniently located on that very side? Instead, Tahmooressi reportedly crossed through the ‘nothing to declare’ lanes and got a green light...Had it not been for an allegedly missing front license plate, suspicious behavior, and an overly-packed pick-up truck, he would not have been waved down by border officials...

Tahmooressi’s mother claims that her son was recently diagnosed with PTSD, and is suffering from severe directional dysfunction. If that is the case, shouldn't that lead to questioning as to whether he should be transporting weapons at all, and especially in close proximity to the border? One would argue that a former Marine has a higher duty of care to the general population, and that he should have carefully navigated his route, and properly stored his weapons and ammo...

More


rocktivity

[rocktivity]

39. UPDATES: Tahmooressi Changes Story -- and Attorneys

Last edited Wed May 28, 2014, 11:34 PM - Edit history (1)

New details muddy Marine vet's story?
The head of Mexican customs in Tijuana said (May 13) that Marine combat veteran Andrew Tahmooressi did not claim he was lost when he drove across the San Ysidro border with loaded guns — contradicting the American’s story, which took a new turn when details emerged indicating he had visited Tijuana before.

Also, email correspondence from Tahmooressi’s lawyer seems to show that the attorney coached his client to not reveal the prior trips to Mexico. The latest details cloud the picture of what happened with Tahmooressi on late March 31 at the San Ysidro border crossing, but his mother and Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, are standing by the Marine veteran’s story of accidentally driving into Mexico...

Tahmooressi Changes Attorneys at 5/28 Mexico Hearing
Andrew Tahmooressi, a 25-year-old Marine Corps veteran, will wait a little longer to make his case against weapons-possession charges after dropping his defense attorney at a brief hearing in a Tijuana courthouse.

Switching counsel may signal a new legal strategy for the Florida man who was detained March 31 after driving across the border into Tijuana with three U.S.-registered guns and more than 400 rounds of ammunition. Under Mexico's strict gun laws, some or all of the weapons are considered to be for the exclusive use of the Mexican military.

“We had some disagreements about how information was presented,” his now-former defense attorney Alejandro Osuna said today after the hearing. However, Osuna said that Tahmooressi is looking good and is in good spirits. He also maintained his former client's innocence. “He shouldn't be here,” the Tijuana lawyer said, though he added that he thinks the American is “getting a fair shot” in the Mexican justice system.

rocktivity

[Judi Lynn]

40. Very strange... Thank you for keeping us updated on this situation. So helpful. n/t

[rocktivity]

42. He is a veteran, not active personnel.

Last edited Thu May 29, 2014, 02:19 PM - Edit history (1)

And it's all the more reason why they should learn and observe foreign gun laws.


rocktivity

[kelliekat44]

45. Yes,you can leave him behind. nt

[rocktivity]

43. The new hearing date has been set for June 4

Last edited Sun Jun 1, 2014, 04:33 PM - Edit history (3)

according to CNN.

According to the head of the Tijuana Customs Department, Tahmooressi:

...crossed into Mexico at 10:30 pm...(he) categorically stated that (Tahmooressi) did not declare the guns...(and) his frequent changes of story made officials suspicious...

And according to Tahmooressi's mother (via Fox News):

“We have a decorated Marine being held in a Mexican prison for no reason...By far, this is worse than Afghanistan. At least he was in Afghanistan by choice, proud and honored. Now he is being held captive under inhumane conditions.”

You're going over the top, ma'am -- there's a difference between parental loyalty and "Methinks thou dost protest too much."


rocktivity

[rocktivity]

44. As the man said when he came across three deep holes containing water

Well, well, well!

Marine admits being in Mexico before arrest

A U.S. Marine sergeant jailed in Mexico since late March for crossing the border with several guns in his car said Friday that he had walked across the border on foot and stayed at a Tijuana hotel earlier on the day of his arrest.

"I stayed in a hotel earlier in the day," Tahmooressi said Friday in an interview with CNN's New Day. "I parked my truck at a parking lot on the American side...and I walk into Mexico with a backpack...I decide to go hang out in Mexico for some good Mexican food, inexpensive place to stay and to hang out."

And around 10:30PM that night, he decided it would be safe to go back the American side and drive his guns over the border, eh?

Asked about Mexican media reports that he had crossed the border into Mexico several times before his March 31 arrest, Tahmooressi told CNN in a telephone interview from La Mesa penitentiary in Tijuana that he had previously traveled there four times "just to hang out."

He denied crossing the border with the intent of trafficking arms. He had an AR-15 rifle, a .45-caliber pistol and a 12-gauge pump shotgun in his truck.

Poor thing -- if he were still in Afghanistan, he could claim he was on a special security detail. I thought his mother had protested too much. Well (if you'll pardon the expression), it was fun while it lasted.

More

[alp227]

46. featured in UTSD today

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jun/15/marine-detained-tijuana-weapons-protests/all/