Undocumented Wisconsin immigrant accused of writing letter threatening Trump assassination may have been set up, lawyers say

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Dodge County man accused of threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump via a handwritten letter may have been set up and may not be the person responsible.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said federal officials arrested 54-year-old Ramon Morales-Reyes, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, on May 22.

According to DHS, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field intelligence officer received a letter in the mail from who they believed was Morales-Reyes the day before his arrest.

In the letter, the author promised to "self deport back to Mexico," but not before "I use my 30 yard 6 to shoot your precious president in [his] head."

He has since been held in ICE custody at the Dodge County Jail in Juneau, Wisconsin.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem took to social media on May 28, posting that she "will continue to take all measures necessary to ensure the protection of President Trump."

But on Friday, May 30, Morales-Reyes' attorneys held a press conference at Voces de la Frontera in Milwaukee, to speak out against what they said are false claims by government officials.

Kime Abduli, an immigration attorney, said his daughters confirmed Morales-Reyes can neither read nor write English, let alone pen a full letter.

Federal officials also compared a handwriting sample from Morales-Reyes to the penmanship in the letter and confirmed to CNN they do not match.

Also, according to CNN, law enforcement reviewed jail calls made by a person of interest, who reportedly "asked about specific addresses, one of which received the letter."

Abduli described her client as humble, soft-spoken, and hardworking, and said he washes dishes to provide a better life for his family.

“This is just false, and we’re here to try to clarify his name," Abduli told media.

As to who investigators believe could be behind the letter?

Abduli said more than a year ago, Morales-Reyes was a victim in an armed robbery in Milwaukee. He is set to testify in a trial in July.

Now his lawyers said officials are looking into if the person who assaulted Morales-Reyes may have written the letter in an attempt to get him deported.

“He’s a primary witness to that because he’s the direct victim of it," Abduli said. "So, without that witness or him being available to testify as a witness against the accused, that can certainly negatively impact justice being carried out in that case.”

Abduli noted that her client had been in the process of applying for a U-Visa, which allows undocumented victims of certain crimes to stay in the United States for four years, only if they agree to comply with law enforcement in their investigation.

“If he and others like him are not willing to come forward and talk about their crimes, and work with the police and the prosecutors, it’s going to have a chilling effect if people think they’re going to be deported," said Cain Oulahan, another immigration attorney representing Morales-Reyes. "That makes our community less safe."

The Milwaukee Police Department sent CBS 58 a statement confirming "they are investigating an identity theft and victim intimidation incident related to this," but could not comment further.

"He's actually suffered more than the average person, to be pulled into the line like this, have a false accusation against him. The harm he's suffered," Oulahan said. "I think he deserves more than just due process to see if he can stay, he deserves to have his name cleared."

Morales-Reyes will have a hearing in immigration court in Chicago next week.

His lawyers said they are working on scheduling a bond hearing as well.