Federal agents have detained a Mexican immigrant in Wisconsin over accusations of threatening the life of President Donald Trump. In an unexpected development, authorities now believe the individual might have been set up as part of a larger plot tied to another criminal investigation.
Ramon Morales Reyes, age 54, was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on May 22, 2025, following the receipt of a handwritten letter by an ICE intelligence officer that threatened to assassinate Trump. The letter’s author claimed he would use a firearm to kill the president at a rally and then self-deport to Mexico.
The letter, penned in blue ink, voiced frustrations over family deportations and included racially charged language. The writer expressed discontent with Trump’s policies on Mexicans and made inflammatory ethnic comparisons. The letter specifically mentioned using a “.30-06” rifle to execute the assassination at one of Trump’s campaign events.
Initially, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials praised the arrest, with Secretary Kristi Noem linking it to other recent threats against President Trump. However, the case took a surprising turn when handwriting analysis suggested that Reyes did not write the letter.
Several law enforcement sources informed CNN that authorities suspect another individual authored the letter to have Reyes deported before he could serve as a witness in an unrelated criminal trial. “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 has revealed that Reyes is actually a victim in an ongoing robbery and assault case in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sources suspect the real author of the threat letter has connections to that legal matter and sought Reyes’s deportation before the trial. Investigators have also reviewed jail phone calls made by a suspect involved in the letter’s creation.
Milwaukee County District Attorney Kent Lovern confirmed that his office, alongside the Milwaukee Police Department, is exploring the incident as a case of identity theft and witness intimidation. The police are investigating but have not yet filed any criminal charges.
Reyes is currently held at the Dodge County Jail in Juneau, Wisconsin. Federal court records indicate he has not been charged with threatening the president. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin confirmed there are no pending charges against Reyes. Despite the handwriting analysis, DHS officials have not withdrawn their original statements about the case.
DHS records reveal Reyes has entered the United States illegally at least nine times between 1998 and 2005. His criminal background includes arrests for felony hit-and-run, property damage, and disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier. Immigration officials stated he will remain in custody pending removal proceedings, regardless of the threat investigation’s outcome.
Reyes’s family lawyer and immigrant rights advocates have criticized the government’s handling of the situation, arguing that the public disclosure caused irreversible harm to Reyes and his family. They reported receiving numerous death threats on social media following the initial DHS press release. Reyes was in the process of applying for a U-visa, which allows undocumented crime victims to stay in the U.S. if they assist law enforcement.
This case arises amid heightened security concerns surrounding Trump, who survived two assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign. The most serious 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, hitting Trump in the ear and killing one attendee. Another incident in September involved a gunman with an AK-47-style weapon at Trump’s Florida golf course.
Secretary Noem initially linked the Reyes letter to these previous attempts, declaring, “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 denied this claim based on a misinterpreted social media post.)
The possibility that Reyes may have been framed raises questions about the initial decision to publicize the arrest and underscores the intricate intersection of immigration enforcement and criminal justice.
A senior DHS official told CNN that while the threat investigation is still ongoing, Reyes will remain in custody due to his immigration status and criminal history. “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.
