Letter to Eduardo Medina Mora, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States

Letter

Dear Ambassador Medina Mora:

I am writing regarding the status of U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Andrew Tahmooressi, who was arrested on March 31, 2014, and remains in a prison in Mexico awaiting trial.

While Mr. Tahmooressi's case is rightfully a Mexican judicial matter, many people in both of our countries, myself included, believe that Mr. Tahmooressi's action was the clear result of an honest mistake. I understand that earlier on the day of his arrest, Mr. Tahmooressi reportedly visited by foot shops in Tijuana, Mexico, after leaving his car in San Diego, California. At the end of that day, he returned to San Diego and retrieved his parked car intending to drive to San Ysidro to have dinner. But, shortly after leaving the parking lot, he reportedly made a wrong turn and crossed the border into Mexico, where he was stopped and apprehended by police after disclosing that he had three loaded guns in his car.

I appreciate the focus that President Peña Nieto and other Mexican leaders at the highest levels of your government have directed to Mr. Tahmooressi's case. And, I continue to hope that your government will find, after the full examination of the facts of his case, that he committed an honest mistake; harbored no malign intent toward your country or its citizens; and, therefore, can be allowed to return home to the United States.

Thank you for your continued service. I look forward to continuing our work together on this matter and the broader task of advancing our mutually-beneficial bilateral partnership.

Sincerely,
John McCain
United States Senator

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