A judge has granted the release on bond for Ramon Morales Reyes, an undocumented immigrant who prosecutors believe was falsely accused of threatening President Trump. The ruling, issued on Tuesday, allows Morales Reyes to be free while the government pursues his deportation.
Morales Reyes, who was employed as a dishwasher at a Milwaukee restaurant, was arrested last month following allegations from the Department of Homeland Security that he had penned a letter threatening to assassinate the president. However, subsequent investigations by Wisconsin prosecutors revealed that he had been set up by another individual, who allegedly wrote the threatening letter in an effort to have Morales Reyes arrested by immigration authorities before he could testify against him in a robbery case.
Last week, Milwaukee County prosecutors charged the other man, Demetric D. Scott, a longtime Wisconsin resident, with identity theft and witness intimidation. Despite these developments, the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement accusing Morales Reyes of making threats remains online, despite his lack of criminal charges in connection with the threats. He has been held in immigration custody since May 22.
The community supporting Morales Reyes, originally from Mexico, has called on federal officials to amend their public statement. This statement, which displayed photos of Morales Reyes alongside the handwritten threatening letter, was still accessible as of Tuesday morning, although a disclaimer was appended to the webpage clarifying that he is ‘no longer under investigation for threats against the president.’