DHS falsely accused Milwaukee immigrant of threatening to assassinate Trump, then pursued his deportation without retracting the claim

On May 28, 2025, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a press release and social-media post accusing Ramón Morales Reyes, a Mexican-born Milwaukee immigrant, of writing a letter that threatened to "shoot your precious president in his head" and vowed to self-deport afterward. Noem's post said ICE officers had arrested Morales Reyes over the threat, and the White House's Instagram account separately posted his photo alongside the letter. Morales Reyes could not have written it: he does not read or write proficiently in English or Spanish, and Milwaukee police and the U.S. Secret Service had already begun investigating the letter's origin and had reason to doubt his authorship in the days before DHS's statement.

The letter was in fact written by Demetric Scott, a Milwaukee man then facing trial for a 2023 robbery and assault in which Morales Reyes was the victim and a scheduled witness against him. Scott coordinated from jail to send the forged threats, in an effort to get Morales Reyes deported before he could testify. Morales Reyes spent three weeks in ICE custody before an immigration judge found him no threat to the community and set bond.

DHS has never retracted Noem's press release, which remains published on the department's website; a brief disclaimer was later added stating Morales Reyes is "no longer under investigation for threats against the President," but the underlying accusation and his photo stay online, and the agency has continued pursuing his deportation on separate immigration grounds. Morales Reyes remains in ongoing removal proceedings.

Updates

2025-06-10 — Released on bond after three weeks in ICE custody [4, 5]

An immigration judge granted Morales Reyes a $7,500 bond, finding he posed no threat to the community; he was released from custody on June 12, 2025.

2026-01-29 — Demetric Scott convicted of forging the letters [6]

A Milwaukee County jury convicted Scott of felony identity theft and witness intimidation for writing the forged threats that framed Morales Reyes.

2026-02-27 — Scott sentenced to 16½ years in prison [7]

A Milwaukee County judge sentenced Scott to a year and six months on the identity theft count, five years on the witness-intimidation count, and 10 years on a reckless-endangerment count stemming from the original 2023 robbery, running consecutively.

2026-09-04 — Family announced plans to sue DHS for $5.5 million [1, 2]

At a Milwaukee press conference, Morales Reyes's family and attorneys said they intend to sue DHS for emotional pain and suffering, citing the department's continued refusal to retract or apologize for the accusation.