Lawyers for a Mexican man facing deportation from the United States believe he is the victim of a setup.
Ramon Morales Reyes was arrested on May 22, accused of sending Immigration and Customs Enforcement a handwritten letter stating he would self-deport after shooting President Donald Trump in the head at one of his rallies.
Attorneys for Morales Reyes said his daughter notified them of his arrest and insisted it would have been impossible for him to write the letter. They said Morales Reyes has very little education and cannot read or write in either Spanish or English, the language the letter was written in.
CNN first reported that law enforcement officials were skeptical of the letter’s authenticity and suspected it may have been created to benefit someone Morales Reyes was set to testify against.
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While the attorneys said they do not yet have full details about the alleged crime, they confirmed Morales Reyes was the victim of robbery and assault in 2024.
Morales Reyes is currently being held in ICE custody in Wisconsin. His attorneys said they plan to request a bond hearing for his release and pursue additional legal avenues to help him remain in the country.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Morales Reyes entered the U.S. illegally at least nine times between 1998 and 2005.
His lawyers said he was working as a dishwasher at the time of his arrest and had applied for a U visa, a special immigration benefit available to victims of certain crimes who assist law enforcement in investigating or prosecuting the offense.
Homeland Security has not commented on CNN’s report suggesting the letter may have come from someone else. Its original statement about the allegations against Morales Reyes remains posted on its website.
In a statement to Scripps News, the Milwaukee Police Department said it is “investigating an identity theft and victim intimidation incident related to this case.” The department did not release any names and noted that the investigation is ongoing and no criminal charges have been filed at this time.
