The mother of a U.S. Marine who has been imprisoned in Mexico since late March said Tuesday that she's hopeful her son, Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, can be released before Veterans Day.
Tahmooressi was captured after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border with weapons, and while he said he crossed the border in error, he was arrested for carrying weapons in violation of Mexican law.
Jill Tahmooressi, mother of Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, who has been held for six months in a Mexican jail, reads his letters from confinement, during a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington earlier this month. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
His case has made significant progress over the last few weeks. Earlier this month, U.S. lawmakers said it was their impression that Mexico was moving toward a decision to release Tahmooressi, and was only seeking proof from the United States that he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Mexico has said it cannot properly treat him for PTSD.
On Tuesday, Jill Tahmooressi said that Mexican prosecutors and the family's lawyer have concluded a round of arguments on this issue, and are now awaiting a decision from the judge. It's possible the judge could decide in a matter of days or weeks to release him.
"We wish to express continued patience as Andrew's case has now been 'closed with conclusions submitted' by both the defense and prosecutor teams," she said in a Facebook post. "We are now in a place hold awaiting a verdict from the honorable judge presiding over the case."
But she warned that the family's lawyers said it could still take days or even weeks.
"There are rumors that a release is imminent," the Facebook post said. "Jill cannot validate that source or fact."
The post also noted rumors that there may plans to find a way to extract Tahmooressi from his prison in Mexico, but said the family is relying on the Mexican judicial system to work through the case.
"The family has always been opposed to any conveyance of a tactical operation release as the family trusts in the Mexico judicial due process and expects a favorable ruling hopefully before Veterans Day," she wrote.
Tahmooressi's case has led to calls for the Obama administration to push Mexico to release him, and Republicans in particular have criticized the White House for not doing enough to win his release.
Earlier this month, the White House admitted that Vice President Joe Biden did not intervene with Mexican officials to win his release, and said the matter was being handled by the State Department.
