Authorities have acknowledged an error in their initial assessment of a Wisconsin man who was arrested last month under suspicion of threatening President Donald Trump, CNN reported Tuesday.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Secretary Kristi Noem had previously labeled Ramón Morales Reyes, an undocumented immigrant, as a potential threat based on threatening letters allegedly written by him. However, a subsequent investigation revealed that Morales Reyes, who cannot read or write in English, was framed by Demetric Deshawn Scott, a 52-year-old man from Milwaukee.
Scott is now facing multiple felony charges for forging the letters in an attempt to prevent Morales Reyes from testifying in Scott's upcoming trial for armed robbery and aggravated battery.
READ MORE: Fact checker confirms Trump still taking credit for fixing a problem that never existed
Noem's social media post announcing Morales Reyes' arrest is still up on her account.
Social media users reacted to the development and raised concerns about the accuracy and fairness of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement practices.
Immigration attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnickwrote on the social platform X: "This is one of the worst scandals of the current administration; they are literally doing the work of a guy accused of robbery who sent fake letters FROM JAIL with the goal of having his victim deported — and haven't even apologized the the false accusation."
"DHS lies," wrote Cato Institute analyst Alex Nowrasteh.
READ MORE: 'Stop the foolishness': Susan Collins in the hot seat as she navigates Trump's second term
"It’s all a reality TV series for them. Alina Habbas now being sued by the NJ mayor she ordered to be arrested; and then she indicted of course she knew she had to eventually drop the charges, but today she’s sued for it. Kristi knew what she was doing bc it’s all a performance," wrote a user.
"Here’s a noncitizen who has been targeted by DHS for jail, detention, and eventual deportation on the basis of a false accusation. He was targeted because of his race. Democrats @MarkWarner, @RepSuhas, and @RepVindman all endorsed this behavior by voting for the Laken Riley Act," tweeted another user.
"Remember when [people] on the right used to say 'the demand for racist stories outstrips the supply'? Now it's the demand for anti-immigrant stories, and instead of the lamestream media buying into fake hate crimes, it's Kristi Noem credulously sharing fake assassination threats," another user said in a post on X.
READ MORE: The one character trait glaringly common among Trump supporters spotted by researchers