Kristi Noem said an immigrant threatened to kill Trump. The story
quickly fell apart
[May 31, 2025]
By MIKE BALSAMO, SCOTT BAUER and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON
A claim by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that an immigrant
threatened the life of President Donald Trump has begun to unravel.
Noem announced an 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. The person could not publicly
discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of
anonymity.
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. It’s not clear why Homeland Security officials still
decided to send a release making that claim.
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.”
His attorneys said he was not facing current charges and they did not
have any information about convictions in his record.
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Cain Oulahan, Ramon Morales Reyes' immigration attorney addresses
the media Friday, May 30, 2025 in Milwaukee about the detention of
his client Ramon Morales Reyes. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
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
next week 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.
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.
Abduli, Morales Reyes’ attorney, says he could not have written the
letter, saying he did not receive formal education and can't write
in Spanish and doesn't 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.”
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