A claim by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that an immigrant threatened the life of Donald Trump has begun to unravel.
Noem announced the arrest of a 54-year-old man who was living in the U.S. illegally, saying he had written a letter threatening to kill Trump and would then return to Mexico. The story received a flood of media attention and was highlighted by the White House and Trump’s allies.
But investigators actually believe the man may have been framed so that he would get arrested and be deported from the U.S. before he got a chance to testify in a trial as a victim of assault.
A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press, on condition of anonymity, because they could not publicly discuss details of the investigation.
Law enforcement officials believe the man, Ramon Morales Reyes, never wrote a letter that Noem and her department shared with a message written in light blue ink expressing anger over Trump’s deportations and threatening to shoot him in the head with a rifle at a rally.
Noem also shared the letter on X along with a photo of Morales Reyes, and the White House also shared it on its social media accounts. The letter was mailed to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office along with the FBI and other agencies, the person said.
As part of the investigation, officials had contacted Morales Reyes and asked for a handwriting sample and concluded his handwriting and the threatening letter didn’t match and that the threat was not credible, the person said.
In an emailed statement asking for information about the letter and the new information about Morales Reyes, the Department of Homeland Security said, “the investigation into the threat is ongoing. Over the course of the investigation, this individual was determined to be in the country illegally, and that he had a criminal record. He will remain in custody.”
It is not clear why Homeland Security officials still decided to send a release making that claim.
“The Department of Homeland Security’s top priority should be protecting the people of this country. In this instance, they did the exact opposite,” said members of the Milwaukee Common Council in a joint statement. “Their quick-triggered incorrect statement caused a man and his family to receive death threats and for him to be detained for something he did not do, while further fueling the anti-immigrant sentiment being pushed at the national level. All things that undermine what should be the department’s chief priority of promoting public safety.”
Attorneys for Morales Reyes said he was not facing current charges, and they did not have any information about convictions in his record.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s records show Morales Reyes is being held at a county jail in Juneau, Wisconsin, northwest of Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee-based immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera, which is advocating for his release, said he was arrested May 21. Attorney Cain Oulahan, who was hired to fight against his deportation, said he has a hearing in a Chicago immigration court the week of June 2 and is hoping he is released on bond.
Morales Reyes had been a victim in a case of another man who is awaiting trial on assault charges in Wisconsin, the person familiar with the matter said. The trial is scheduled for July.
Morales Reyes works as a dishwasher in Milwaukee, where he lives with his wife and three children. He had recently applied for a U visa, which is carved out for people in the country illegally who become victims of serious crimes, said attorney Kime Abduli, who filed that application.
“Deporting valued members of our community who are raising and educating our kids, assisting law enforcement in their important work, and giving back to our neighborhoods should alarm us all. It is wrong and unjust. These individuals are victims of a broken immigration system. The Trump administration told the country they were only going after “the worst of the worst.” But time and time again, we see them targeting the very people who contribute the most—our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends,” said County Executive David Crowley in a statement. “I am deeply alarmed that our country continues to turn its back on our most vulnerable. By not standing up and protecting our neighbors, we’re not just failing them — we’re failing our entire community. Due process is under attack, and that should concern all of us in Wisconsin and across the country.”
The Milwaukee Police Department said it is investigating an identity theft and victim intimidation incident related to this matter, and the county district attorney’s office said the investigation was ongoing. Milwaukee police said no one has been criminally charged at this time.
“Investigators have now confirmed that the undocumented immigrant was, in fact, the victim of a crime. The note was written and sent to ICE agents by the actual perpetrator of the crime in a deliberate attempt to have the immigrant deported before he could testify in court. If Forward Latino immediately recognized these obvious inconsistencies, then so must have the professionals at the Department of Homeland Security, equipped with their thousands of law enforcement professionals, forensic experts, and criminal psychologists,” said Darryl Morin, National President of Forward Latino. “The Department of Homeland Security plays a critical role in safeguarding our nation and must be led by serious, competent officials, who operate within the law and prioritize public safety over politics, the quest for sensational headlines, and themed photo shoots. The Secretary’s false statement did nothing to improve public safety and only succeeded in fueling further anti-immigrant hate and the exploitation and victimization of
immigrants.”
Abduli, an attorney for Morales Reyes, said he could not have written the letter, because he did not receive a formal education. He cannot write in Spanish and does not know how to speak English. She said it was not clear whether he was arrested because of the letters.
“There is really no way that it could be even remotely true,” Abduli said. “We’re asking for a clarification and a correction from DHS to clear Ramon’s name of anything having to do with this.”
