Homeland Security Secretary (ICE) Kristi Noem published a post on social media in which she claimed that an undocumented migrant had threatened to kill former President Donald Trump in a letter. According to Noem, the author of the threat reportedly stated his intention to “self-deport” after the attack. The arrest of the man, Ramon Morales Reyes, 54, was praised as proof of the efficiency of ICE officers.
“Thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars,” Noem wrote in the post that also included the letter and a photo of the arrested man. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also sent out a press release.
As CNN reports, however, law enforcement officials believe Reyes is not the author of the letter. Investigators suspect that the threat was forged by another person, with the intent to have Reyes deported and thus prevent him from testifying in a trial in which he is the victim.
Investigators reached this conclusion after they verified that the letter’s handwriting does not match Reyes’s. They also examined some calls made from prison by a person suspected of writing the letter pretending to be Reyes. In one of these conversations, the suspect asked for specific addresses, including the one that later actually received the threatening missive.
The incident comes amid a particularly tense political environment of increased threats against Trump and growing pressure on ICE to increase the number of deportations.
Reyes is currently being held as a suspect in Wisconsin but has not been formally charged. In light of the evidence gathered, the Milwaukee Police Department is investigating a possible case of identity theft and intimidation of a victim.
The Department of Homeland Security said Reyes had entered the United States illegally at least nine times and has a criminal record. The Secret Service has opened an investigation into the case.
Although the affair was initially presented as a serious criminal act carried out by an undocumented migrant, the investigation suggests that Reyes may have been framed, perhaps to obstruct his testimony in another trial.
