This is the mugshot of the Venezuelan migrant who shares tips on how to live off the US government on social media.
Leonel Moreno, 27, has been on the run from immigration authorities since he crossed the US-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, illegally in April 2022, ICE told DailyMail.com.
It appears that ICE had lost track of Moreno until his videos telling migrants how to live off the US government started going viral. They now have him listed as possibly living in Columbus, Ohio.
The migrant’s TikTok account @leitooficial_25, where he had amassed half a million followers, was suspended after his controversial videos went viral. A spokesperson for TikTok told DailyMail.com the platform doesn’t allow users to promote criminal activities.
Moreno enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program, which lets migrants on parole go free while officials track them until their next court date. But he didn’t show up for his court date in Miami in November, 2022, and is now listed as an ‘absconder’ from the program.
This is the mugshot of the Venezuelan migrant infamous for sharing tips on how to invade vacant homes in the US, who is currently on the run from ICE. It was taken on April 23, 2022
Leonel Moreno’s TikTok account @leitooficial_25, where he had amassed half a million followers, has reportedly been suspended
It appears that ICE had lost track of Moreno until his videos started going viral. They now have him listed as possibly living in the above home in Columbus, Ohio
On Tuesday, Moreno posted several clips seemingly sobbing on a newly-created account, as he claimed he was being persecuted and threatened after his original TikTok account was suspended on Saturday.
‘I am in danger of death in the US! I need protection! I am being persecuted! My account has been blocked!’ he said as liquid dropped from his nose.
‘My people, I need you to pay attention to what’s happening because my family is on danger. They erased my TikTok accounts. I have received threats from powerful people. Help!’
In another video he added: ‘My people, they have gotten what they wanted! The envy has reached my family! Everything that’s happening is because of your evilness!
‘The want to silence me!’
It appears Moreno does not plan on stopping his particular brand of content, as he shared a clip on Wednesday counting hundred dollar bills and saying he doesn’t need to work to make money.
In one of his now-viral videos, Moreno instructed his followers how to ‘invade’ American homes and invoke squatter’s rights, claiming that under US law, ‘if a house is not inhabited, we can seize it.’
Moreno also made headlines in February, after he demanded Venezuelans unite to help a 15-year-old migrant accused of shooting a tourist and trying to kill a NYPD officer in Times Square.
The videos have been widely shared as Venezuelan migrants fleeing their country’s collapse become one of the largest nationalities arriving at the US-Mexico border.
It appears Moreno does not plan on stopping his particular brand of content, as he shared a clip on Wednesday counting hundred dollar bills
Some of his other videos show him claiming he is begging for money on the streets with his baby daughter
Venezuelans have taken to social media to denounce him as a troll, accusing him of using their situation to become an influencer while sparking hatred against migrants who plan on working for a better life in the US.
‘He’s gone absolutely viral for all the wrong reasons and is a complete an utter embarrassment and disgrace to my home country,’ wrote Daniel Laplana on X.
‘I have nothing but contempt for the guy and his insufferable caricature of a Venezuelan migrant,’ said Venezuelan-American Rafael Estruve, president of Houston Young Republicans.
‘His charade is gross blend of incompetence and arrogance put on full display, and he is by far one of the absolute worst representations of Venezuelans on a public platform.’
Others accused Moreno or ‘rage baiting’ many Venezuelans believe he is purposely trying to stoke anger in order to receive more views and be profitable on TikTok as the US receives record numbers of Venezuelans.
Indeed, the coverage helped Moreno increase his followings – back in February, when one of his videos first went viral, he had under 219,000 followers, about half what he had when his account was suspended last week.
On Friday, Moreno livestreamed himself sleeping, with as many as 270 people watching the static image and sending donations.
One of the comments left by his fans read: ‘Making money while you sleep jajaja you are the best.’
Some of his other videos show him claiming he is begging for money on the streets with his baby daughter. Others show him bragging about using the financial aid he supposedly receives from the government for his toddler to buy himself a car.
In several clips Moreno shows viewers a the filthy area under a bridge that he claims would serve as a great living space while saving to rent a home.
Many of his fans appear to see Moreno as some sort of comedian, with comments claiming he is playing up the stereotype of a migrant in the US.
Others videos show him bragging about using the financial aid he supposedly receives from the government for his toddler to buy himself a car
On Friday, Moreno livestreamed himself sleeping, with as many as 270 people watching the static image and sending donations
However, regardless of Moreno’s intentions or real positions, his comments have sparked outrage among Americans already concerned with the crisis at the border, largely fueled by Venezuelans fleeing socialism.
One comment on Moreno’s TikTok read: ‘We Americans are going to vote for politicians in November that will deport you back to Venezuela as soon as possible.’
Another read: ‘I hope they take away your baby and send you back to your country you’re causing too much trouble.’
Venezuelans represent the largest displacement crisis in the world, with more than 7.7million people outside their nation – even larger than Ukrainians and Syrians.
It’s a rare case of massive migration from a country that is not at war but has seen one of the most extreme fortune reversals in recent history after the socialist takeover 20 years ago.
Venezuela has suffered political, economic and humanitarian crises over the past decade making food and other necessities unaffordable for those who remain. The vast majority who fled settled in neighboring countries in Latin America, but many began coming to the United States in the last three years.