CHICAGO (AP) — A man falsely accused of threatening President Donald Trump’s life faces deportation even as Wisconsin authorities say the Mexican immigrant was framed and is a victim of a violent 2023 attack.
Ramón Morales Reyes was thrust into the national spotlight last week when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused him of writing letters threatening Trump.
Agency officials quietly acknowledged Wednesday that Morales Reyes is no longer a suspect in that threat, a day after another man was charged in Wisconsin for forging the letters. But Trump administration social media posts blasting Morales Reyes as a potential presidential assassin remained online.
Attorneys for Morales Reyes say he isn’t a danger to the public, and activists believe he’s a scapegoat in an increasing hostile environment for immigrants. Meanwhile, federal authorities say they’re pushing ahead with deportation in part because the 54-year-old doesn’t have legal permission to live in the country.
Here are things to know about the case:
What’s he accused of?
Morales Reyes immigrated from Mexico in the 1980s, according to his attorney. A married man with three U.S. citizen children, he worked as a dishwasher in Milwaukee.
Federal immigration agents took him into custody last month after he dropped his daughter at school.
Days later Noem blasted his photo on social media, along with an excerpt of a letter he purportedly wrote in English calling for Trump to be shot at a rally. The arrest was held up by the White House and Trump supporters as a success in the administration’s aggressive crackdown on immigration.
But the details quickly unraveled, including the fact that Morales Reyes doesn’t speak English well and can’t write in the language.
On Tuesday, authorities in Wisconsin charged Demetric D. Scott of forging the letter in an effort to blame Morales Reyes, a potential witness against him in a 2023 attack. Scott is accused of knocking Morales Reyes off his bicycle, injuring him with a box cutter and then taking the bike, according to court records.
Court documents said law enforcement officials listened to calls Scott made about the letters and a plot to have someone picked up by immigration agents, all aiming to have the armed robbery and aggravated battery charges dismissed. He also admitted to police that he wrote the letters, documents said.
Scott, who is in the Milwaukee County Jail, is awaiting a July trial. He’s due in court on Tuesday on the newer charges, including felony witness intimidation and identity theft.
A message left Tuesday for the state public defender’s office wasn’t immediately returned. Scott’s attorneys have previously declined comment.
What’s his immigration status?
Earlier this year, Morales Reyes applied for a U visa, which is for people in the country illegally who become victims of serious crimes. The application was pending, according to his attorneys.
Morales Reyes has been detained at Dodge Detention Center in Juneau, which is about 70 miles (112.65 kilometers) north of Milwaukee.
Homeland Security officials have not publicly corrected the information on the presidential threat.
Instead they’ve doubled down on pursuing an immigration case against him. They allege Morales Reyes entered the country illegally at least nine times between 1998 and 2005 and that he has a criminal background.
“This criminal illegal alien is no longer under investigation for threats against the President, but will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” DHS said in a statement Wednesday.
Morales Reyes is accused of two incidents in 1996, according to his attorneys.
In one he was arrested for damaging property in a hit-and-run but not charged. In another he was ticketed for disorderly conduct and criminal damage after a dispute with his wife. No one was injured, according to his attorney.
Attorneys for Morales Reyes said the information on the threat should be corrected quickly as their client and his family are facing harassment and threats.
“This administration has jumped quickly to make announcements that they think will play well to their narrative of immigrants being dangerous,” said attorney Cain Oulahan.
What’s next?
Immigrant rights advocates have rallied around Morales Reyes, including a group who stood outside a downtown Chicago immigration court Wednesday ahead of a brief hearing in the deportation case. Several held a large banner that read, “Stop Scapegoating Immigrants.”
Morales Reyes, wearing a green jail jumpsuit, appeared via livestream. He spoke through a Spanish interpreter, saying he understood the case.
Oulahan told the judge that he was hoping for a quick resolution, considering the public accusations made against Morales Reyes. He’s seeking for Morales Reyes to be released on bond.
A government attorney told the judge she didn’t have any information about the threat accusation.
Immigration Judge Carla Espinoza said more time was needed to review documents. She set another hearing for June 10.
The situation has been difficult for Morales Reyes and his relatives.
“He’s a family man. This has been extremely stressful on him,” said Oulahan. “He’s very worried.”
