My latest Mexidata column is entitled Sorting Out the Story of Jon Hammar's Imprisonment in Mexico.

It's about Jon Hammar, Jr., the young Marine veteran who was imprisoned in Mexico, from August to December, for entering Mexico with an old Sears & Roebuck shotgun.

It had to have been obvious to Mexican border authorities that Hammar was no arms smuggler, in fact they might not have even known he had the shotgun had he not told them he had it. At that point, they could have just sent him back across the border. Instead, he was imprisoned, facing a possible 15-year sentence. It appears they were trying to make an example of him.

(Of course, the Mexican government still expects us to amnesty millions of Mexican illegals north of the border).

Hammar was released in December. His release was facilitated by a good Mexican lawyer, a Mexican chamber of commerce and plenty of publicity on Fox News. For more details, read about it here. I hope Jon is recovering from his ordeal.