A Chicago judge has decided that Ramon Morales Reyes, a Mexican immigrant who was falsely accused of making a threat against President Donald Trump, can be released from a Wisconsin prison on bond.
On Tuesday, Judge Carla Espinoza stated in federal immigration court that Morales Reyes does not pose a risk to the community.
This ruling challenges a previous assertion from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which had accused Morales Reyes of sending a letter detailing a plot to assassinate President Trump. The DHS’s statement had included a photo of Morales Reyes and a screenshot of the letter he was alleged to have written.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem had remarked, “Thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars.”
However, the case took a different turn when Milwaukee County prosecutors charged a different man, Demetric D. Scott, with identity theft and witness intimidation. Court documents revealed that Scott was responsible for the letter in question and had misused Morales Reyes’ name and address to send it to state and federal officials.
Since this revelation, the DHS indicated that Morales Reyes is no longer under investigation for any threats against the President, although he will continue to remain in ICE custody as removal proceedings are pending.
In court, it was noted by Judge Espinoza that while Morales Reyes has an arrest record dating back to 1996, he has only been convicted of disorderly conduct charges.
Kime Abduli, the attorney representing Morales Reyes, argues that Scott wrote the threatening letters in hopes of having her client deported, exploiting the current political climate and the heightened anti-immigrant sentiment associated with President Trump’s administration.
Abduli stated, “He made the decision to write these letters based on the current political climate and the fact that Trump is in office and there is this entire anti-immigrant, xenophobic agenda out there.”
Currently, Scott is held at the Milwaukee County jail facing charges of armed robbery and aggravated battery. He is accused of using a box cutter to injure Morales Reyes while stealing a bicycle from him earlier this year. Morales Reyes is set to testify against Scott in an upcoming trial next month.
Morales Reyes has been working as a dishwasher in Milwaukee and lives there with his wife and three children. He recently applied for a U visa, a provision designed to protect undocumented immigrants who have become victims of serious crimes. Abduli emphasized that the deportation threat Morales Reyes now faces undermines the purpose of the U visa.
“The whole point of the U visa is to say, even if you’re undocumented, please come forward and report crimes because our ultimate goal is to make sure that everybody is safe,” Abduli explained.
She expressed concern that this situation may have a chilling effect on the willingness of undocumented immigrants to report crimes they witness in their communities.
Activists supporting Morales Reyes gathered outside the immigration court in Chicago, reflecting broader fears about the implications for Latino families.
Rhea Pribla Balsley, a third-grade bilingual teacher at Meehan Elementary in Belvidere, expressed her apprehension for her students, many of whom have undocumented parents who have been detained by ICE agents.
Balsley stated, “I am petrified for my students and their families. Some of them can’t go back. If they go back, they won’t be living anymore.”
The next hearing for Morales Reyes is scheduled for July 10.
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