A U.S. Marine, arrested at the border, held for 214 days

Andrew Tahmooressi is a U.S. Marine. On March 31, 2014, he was arrested at the San Ysidro / El Chaparral border crossing and taken into Mexican custody. He was not free again until October 31, 2014. That is roughly seven months. 214 days.

An American Marine spent 214 days in a Mexican jail, and every day of it is on the record.

What the case needed

A detention like this is not won in the cell. It is won where the public story, the diplomatic pressure, and the family's own account either hold together or come apart. Get that wrong and a border matter hardens into an international standoff.

LUCID took over management of the case and shepherded it through to his release on October 31, 2014.

Why the specifics matter

Tahmooressi came home after 214 days. We state the dates because precision is the point in a case like this: arrest on March 31, 2014, release on October 31, 2014, seven months in between. A family in the worst period of its life does not need adjectives about a case. It needs the record kept straight.

That record is why we can name this one. It happened, it is public, and it ended with a Marine back on American soil.

If someone you love is being held abroad, tell us what's happening. We can work with your family in your first language, and someone will get back to you quickly.

310-859-4600 — we respond quickly, and LUCID is reachable after hours.

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