Father of three detained by ICE after fake Trump assassination letter sent by his attacker
A Milwaukee father’s world was turned upside down when he was arrested for allegedly threatening to assassinate President Trump. But investigators now believe he may have been the victim of an elaborate frame-up.
The Accusation That Shocked Everyone
Ramon Morales-Reyes, a 54-year-old undocumented immigrant and father of three, found himself at the center of a national security investigation last week.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly accused him of sending a handwritten letter threatening President Trump’s life.
The letter, written entirely in English, contained a chilling message about using a “30 yard 6 to shoot your precious president” before self-deporting to Mexico.
ICE officers swiftly detained Morales-Reyes, and Secretary Noem praised their quick action in a press release that spread rapidly across social media.
“Thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars,” Noem declared.
A Family’s Desperate Plea
But Morales-Reyes’ family immediately knew something was wrong.
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of immigrant advocacy organization Voces de la Frontera, revealed a crucial detail that raised serious questions about the case.
“A family member called our organizers, letting us know that this was impossible, as her father had very little formal education and could not read or write in Spanish – let alone perfect English,” Neumann-Ortiz explained.
The family’s claim seemed almost too convenient to believe. How could a man who couldn’t write in his native language craft a threatening letter in perfect English?
The Attack That Started It All
The story takes a darker turn when examining events from September 2023.
Morales-Reyes was allegedly attacked by a man who slashed him with a box cutter before stealing his bicycle. The assault left him injured and traumatized, but he pressed charges against his attacker.
As the robbery case prepared to go to trial, Morales-Reyes applied for a U-visa – a special visa for undocumented victims of crime that could lead to legal residency.
His testimony would be crucial in convicting his alleged attacker.
Then, just as the trial approached, ICE received the threatening letter bearing Morales-Reyes’ signature.
The Investigation Unravels
Milwaukee investigators weren’t buying the story from the beginning.
Even before Secretary Noem’s public accusation, local police were already investigating whether the letter was a setup.
They compared Morales-Reyes’ handwriting with the threatening letter and found they didn’t match.
But the most damning evidence came from an unexpected source.
The Smoking Gun
According to CNN’s investigation, Milwaukee officials began reviewing jailhouse phone calls from the man accused of attacking Morales-Reyes in 2023.
What they discovered was shocking.
In recorded phone calls from earlier in May, the alleged attacker discussed sending letters to ICE specifically to frame Morales-Reyes and have him deported.
His motive was clear: prevent his victim from testifying against him in the upcoming robbery trial.
“He outta there,” the person said in one call, describing how Trump’s return to office was increasing deportations.
The alleged frame-up appears to have been a calculated attempt to eliminate a key witness using the current administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement as a weapon.
Questions Remain
The case highlights concerning questions about the verification process for such serious accusations.
It remains unclear whether Secretary Noem will issue a correction, if Morales-Reyes will be released to testify against his alleged attacker, or how his U-visa application will be affected by his detention.
For now, a father of three remains behind bars, potentially the victim of an elaborate scheme that exploited both the immigration system and national security concerns to silence a crime victim.