Federal authorities apprehended a Mexican immigrant in Wisconsin, accusing him of threatening President Donald Trump. However, investigators have now learned that the individual was framed in a complex plot related to another criminal case.
Ramon Morales Reyes, 54, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on May 22, 2025. This arrest followed a day after an ICE intelligence officer received a handwritten letter threatening to assassinate Trump. The letter’s author claimed the intention to use a firearm at a Trump rally before self-deporting to Mexico.
The letter, penned in blue ink, expressed frustration over family deportations and contained racially charged language. The writer criticized Trump’s policies toward Mexicans and made provocative comparisons between ethnic groups. The letter specifically mentioned using a “30 yard 6” firearm, referring to a .30-06 rifle, to carry out the assassination at a campaign event.
Initially, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials lauded the arrest, with Secretary Kristi Noem linking it to other recent threats against Trump. However, the situation shifted when handwriting analysis revealed that Reyes did not author the threatening letter.
Law enforcement sources informed CNN that they suspected the letter was written by someone else, intending to have Reyes deported before his testimony in an unrelated criminal case. “Federal officials asked for a handwriting sample from Reyes and determined his handwriting and the threatening letter didn’t match,” according to a high-level law enforcement official briefed on the case.
The investigation found that Reyes was a victim of a robbery and assault case in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Authorities later found that the real author of the letter was linked to that criminal proceeding and wanted Reyes deported ahead of the trial. Investigators reviewed jail phone calls made by the person suspected of being involved in authoring the letters.
Milwaukee County District Attorney Kent Lovern confirmed that his office and the Milwaukee Police Department are treating the matter as a case of identity theft and witness intimidation.
DHS records show that Reyes unlawfully entered the United States at least nine times between 1998 and 2005. His record includes arrests for felony hit-and-run, property damage, and disorderly conduct related to domestic abuse. Immigration authorities stated that he still has ongoing removal proceedings, regardless of the results of the threat investigation.
In June 2025, federal prosecutors charged Milwaukee inmate Demetric Deshawn Scott with forging the assassination threat letter in an attempt to frame Morales Reyes and have him deported before testifying against Scott in an upcoming robbery trial. Handwriting analysis and recorded jailhouse phone calls confirmed Reyes was not the author.
Reyes was released from ICE custody on a $7,500 bond but remains in removal proceedings. Despite the new evidence and absence of criminal charges, the Department of Homeland Security has not issued a correction or retracted its original public statements linking Reyes to the threat. Advocacy groups have called for the agency to clear his name formally.
The family’s attorney and immigrant rights advocates criticized the government’s handling of the case, arguing that the public announcement caused harm to Reyes and his family. They reported receiving numerous death threats on social media following the initial DHS press release. Reyes was reportedly in the process of applying for a U-visa, which allows undocumented crime victims to remain in the United States if they assist in law enforcement investigations.
The case surfaced during a period of heightened security concerns surrounding Trump, who survived two assassination attempts during his 2024 presidential campaign. The most notable incident occurred on July 13, 2024, at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle, injuring Trump and killing one attendee. A second incident in September involved a gunman with an AK-47-style weapon at Trump’s Florida golf course.
Secretary Noem had linked the Reyes letter to these previous attempts, stating, “This threat comes not even a year after President Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, and less than two weeks after former FBI Director Comey called for the President’s assassination.” (Comey has refuted this claim based on his misinterpreted post on social media.)
A senior DHS official told CNN that while the threat investigation continues, Reyes remains in removal proceedings due to his immigration status and criminal record. “Over the course of the investigation, this individual was determined to be in the country illegally, and that he had a criminal record.”
