Federal authorities arrested a Mexican immigrant in Wisconsin for allegedly threatening President Donald Trump’s life, but, in a bizarre twist, investigators now suspect the man was framed in an elaborate scheme connected to a separate criminal case.
Ramon Morales Reyes, 54, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on May 22, 2025, one day after an ICE intelligence officer received a handwritten letter threatening to assassinate Trump. The letter stated the author would use his firearm to kill the president at one of his rallies before self-deporting to Mexico.
The threatening correspondence, written in blue ink, expressed anger over family deportations and contained racially charged language. The writer claimed fatigue with Trump’s policies toward Mexicans and made inflammatory 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 one of Trump’s campaign events.
Department of Homeland Security officials initially praised the arrest, with Secretary Kristi Noem connecting it to other recent threats against the president. However, the case took a dramatic turn when federal investigators conducting handwriting analysis determined that Reyes never wrote the threatening letter.
Multiple law enforcement sources told CNN that officials suspected someone else authored the correspondence with the intent of having Reyes deported before he could testify 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 revealed that Reyes is actually a victim in a pending robbery and assault case in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Law enforcement sources believe the real author of the letter may be connected to that criminal proceeding and wanted Reyes deported before the trial could take place. Investigators also reviewed jail phone calls made by a person they suspect was involved in writing the letters.
Milwaukee County District Attorney Kent Lovern confirmed Thursday night that his office and the Milwaukee Police Department are investigating the matter as a case of identity theft and witness intimidation. The Milwaukee Police Department stated they are examining the incident but noted that no criminal charges have been filed at this time.
Reyes remains detained at the Dodge County Jail in Juneau, Wisconsin, but federal court records show he has not been charged with threatening the president. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin confirmed that it has no pending charges involving Reyes. Despite the handwriting analysis findings, DHS officials have not retracted their original statement about the case.
According to DHS records, Reyes entered the United States illegally at least nine times between 1998 and 2005. His criminal history includes arrests for felony hit-and-run, criminal damage to property, and disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier. Immigration officials indicated that he will remain in custody pending removal proceedings, regardless of the outcome of the investigation into the threat.
The family’s attorney and immigrant rights advocates have criticized the government’s handling of the case, arguing that the public announcement caused irreversible damage to Reyes and his family. They report 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 cooperate with law enforcement investigations.
The case emerged during a period of heightened security concerns surrounding Trump, who survived two assassination attempts during his 2024 presidential campaign. The most serious 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, striking Trump in the ear 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 connected the Reyes letter to these previous attempts, stating in her original announcement: “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.)
The revelation that Reyes may have been framed raises questions about the initial rush to publicize the arrest and highlights the complex intersection of immigration enforcement and criminal justice proceedings.
A senior DHS official told CNN that while the threat investigation remains ongoing, Reyes will stay in custody 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. He will remain in custody.”
The department has not addressed whether it plans to issue any corrections to its original statements about the case, leaving questions about the accuracy of initial claims and the implications for future immigration enforcement actions tied to criminal investigations.
