Royce, Salmon urge Mexico to release U.S. Marine

Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) have called for the immediate release of Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, a U.S. Marine being held in Mexico, in a letter sent to Mexican Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam last week.

“As citizens of our country reflect on the recent barbaric execution of Americans at the hands of radical Islamic terrorists, we are reminded of the service of men and women of our nation’s Armed Forces who, like Sgt. Tahmooressi, sacrificed so much to combat the scourge of terrorism that threatens to destabilize the world,” the letter stated. “Sgt. Tahmooressi’s combat-related PTSD is a life-threatening condition he acquired in honorable defense of his country, and he needs to return to the United States to begin treatment post haste. It is because of this that we have been closely following his incarceration in Mexico… . And it is because of this that we respectfully ask for your good offices in assuring that his case is resolved urgently.”

Tahmooressi crossed into Mexico with a number of weapons in his vehicle on March 31, which prompted his arrest. He contends that he missed the last exit before the border and accidentally entered the country.