JUNEAU, Wis. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it arrested a man last week accused of threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump.
Ramon Morales-Reyes, a 54-year-old Mexican national, allegedly entered the United States illegally on nine separate occasions between 1998 and 2005.
Morales-Reyes is currently in ICE custody inside the Dodge County Jail.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), he’s been detained for a week after allegedly sending a letter threatening to assassinate President Trump.
On May 21, the department reported an ICE field intelligence officer received a handwritten letter in the mail from Ramon Morales-Reyes, in which he promised to self-deport after he used his gun to shoot President Trump in the head at one of his rallies.
On May 22, Morales-Reyes was arrested and taken to Dodge County. It’s unclear if he’s been living in Wisconsin or another state.
Spectrum News has inquired for more details on Morales-Reyes from DHS and the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office.
Trump was targeted in two assassination attempts during his 2024 presidential campaign, including a shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The suspects in both attempts were U.S. citizens.
This latest threat prompted a swift response from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. In a statement, Noem said:
“Thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars. This threat comes not even a year after President Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania and less than two weeks after former FBI Director Comey called for the President’s assassination. All politicians and members of the media should take notice of these repeated attempts on President Trump’s life and tone down their rhetoric. I will continue to take all measures necessary to ensure the protection of President Trump.”
According to DHS, Morales-Reyes had been previously arrested for felony hit-and-run, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct with “a domestic abuse modifier.”
Morales-Reyes is in the Dodge County Jail because it is the only facility in the state that houses ICE detainees and they have done so for the past 25 years.
Thursday evening, CNN reported investigators believe Morales-Reyes was set up. CNN said investigators do not think he actually wrote the letter. Read CNN's full report, here.
On Friday morning, a senior DHS official told Spectrum News that the investigation into the threat is ongoing.
"Over the course of the investigation, this individual was determined to be in the country illegally and that he had a criminal record. He will remain in custody.”