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Tag: migrant influencer

  • ‘Migrant influencer’ in custody after videos on legal loopholes

    ‘Migrant influencer’ in custody after videos on legal loopholes

    (NewsNation) — A man who came to the U.S. illegally from Venezuela is now in custody after going viral for bragging about getting free money from America and encouraging other newcomers to take advantage of U.S. laws protecting squatters.

    In one TikTok video, Leonel Moreno, now being called the “migrant influencer,” explained squatting laws and suggested how to take advantage of them. His account has now been removed from the platform.

    “I learned that there is a law that says if a house is not inhabited, then we can take it,” he said. “Here in the United States, terrain deformation also applies, and I think that will be my next business: invade abandoned houses.”

    Moreno crossed into the country illegally in April 2022 in Eagle Pass, Texas and was paroled, but authorities say he never showed up to his initial check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    When Moreno was initially processed, he was placed in the Alternatives to Detention program, where he was given a cell phone as a tracking device.

    But because he didn’t follow the rules, Department of Homeland Security sources told NewsNation he was listed as a preorder absconder and was terminated from the program.

    These sources later confirmed to NewsNation that Moreno was in custody.

    Moreno has an order to appear in a Florida court in February of 2025, but authorities had trouble tracking him down. The address he initially provided was for Catholic Charities in Miami, but sources said he now has a possible address listed in Ohio.

    Also in Ohio, Fermin Garcia-Gutierrez is another man allegedly taking advantage of the system and gaps in intelligence.

    Law enforcement in Butler County, Ohio, said Garcia-Gutierrez has been in Sheriff Richard Jones’ jail 11 times, using seven different names and three different dates of birth. According to Jones, Garcia-Gutierrez has been reported eight times, yet the 46-year-old keeps returning successfully.

    Garcia-Gutierrez’s latest arrest was for possession of drugs and weapons while intoxicated and obstructing. His story is not the only one, with Jones saying since 2021, the county has housed nearly 1,000 immigrant inmates with ICE detainers.

    Ali Bradley

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  • Migrant influencer urges immigrant TikTok followers to ‘invade’ US homes

    Migrant influencer urges immigrant TikTok followers to ‘invade’ US homes

    (NewsNation) — Amid the United States government’s efforts to manage the migrant influx, a man dubbed the “migrant influencer” is coaching immigrants on how to live in the country by taking advantage of laws protecting squatters.

    Identified as Leonel Moreno, the Venezuelan national moved to the U.S. last September and lives in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, with his partner and infant daughter, the New York Post reported.

    Currently, the migrant who goes by @leitooficial_25 online has over half a million TikTok followers, with his likes and reposts garnering millions more interactions.

    In his most recent controversial video, which has garnered nearly four million views, Moreno advised followers to avoid being homeless in the U.S. by invading “empty homes and live there.” He claims that under U.S. law, an uninhabited home can be seized, referring to squatting rights.

    “As we have more migrants moving into cities, more homelessness, we are going to see more squatting,” said James Burling, a property rights attorney. “They’re talking about all the advantages that you can get from squatting, it’s inevitable that it’s going to increase.”

    In previous videos, Moreno bragged about initially coming to the U.S. for vacation but says he now lives off of U.S. taxpayers due to having a child in the country. He refers to his daughter as a “goldmine” and the family’s breadwinner, additionally revealing he awaits Americans’ pension checks every month.

    In another video, he urges fellow Venezuelans to pay the fines of a 15-year-old migrant accused of shooting a tourist in New York City’s Times Square earlier this year, warning, “Today it could be him, tomorrow it could be one of you.”

    A recent video on squatting by Moreno is gaining attention, as he tells his “comrades” that they can fix up abandoned homes that have deteriorated or are in bad condition and receive credits when the properties are sold.

    However, Burling refutes this claim, stating it’s misinformation being spread on social media.

    “I think publicity like what we’re seeing in TikTok and viral videos of that nature are going to magnify the idea that squatting is an alternative to not having enough housing,” he said.

    NewsNation submitted a request to the Columbus Police Department for any records on Moreno but has not received a response. Additionally, NewsNation spoke with city leaders who reported they hadn’t heard of Moreno or seen a local uptick in squatting.

    Hena Doba

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