The ‘migrant influencer’ encouraging others to invade the US and squat the homes of citizens skipped out on authorities shortly after arriving in the country and is now on the run from immigration officials, The Post can reveal.
Venezuelan national Leonel Moreno crossed the southern border illegally in April 2022 at Eagle Pass, Texas, and was enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program, which allows federal authorities to track migrants either using ankle monitors or other technology.
However, Moreno didn’t follow the rules and is now listed as an “absconder” from the program, according to internal ICE documents seen by The Post.
Moreno — who claims he, his wife and daughter receive $350 a week from the federal government in his videos — appears to be hiding in plain sight, even posting a video in front a cop car from the Gahanna Police Department, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio.
Gahanna Police told The Post they are aware of the videos, but added: “To date, our agency has had no contact with this individual and we are unaware of his location.”
Moreno was originally released into the US on parole due to a lack of space in detention facilities. This has previously meant migrants haven’t been fully interviewed and vetted by authorities — which usually takes around three days — before being let into the US.
John Fabbricatore, a former ICE field office director for the agency in Denver, told The Post the Biden administration’s reliance on Alternatives to Detention, which currently includes over a million people, “is nothing short of a failure.”
“We have witnessed yet another individual who was allowed entry into the US under the ATD program, only to abscond and make Tiktok videos explaining how to break the law. The question stands—how many thousands more are out there unaccounted for after fleeing this program?” Fabbricatore, who is now running to represent Colorado’s sixth district, said.
Moreno has been seen living in Columbus. His listed point of contact in the US was Catholic Charities in Miami, according to ICE documents.
ICE in Miami mailed Moreno an immigration court date in November 2022 after he never appeared in person, according to sources.
“The Biden administration markets these policies as solutions, but in reality, it’s merely a smoke screen obscuring the chaos and failures at the border. We should demand transparency of this program and not continue to let this administration compromise the safety and integrity of our nation’s borders.” Fabbricatore added.
Moreno has become a Tiktok influencer, encouraging “fellow Venezuelans” to squat in the homes of U.S. citizens and calling President Biden “mi papa.”
Moreno also frequently flaunts supplies purchased using food stamps. He can also be seen on his Instagram waving a Social Security card while laying in bed with his baby.
On social media, he frequently boasts of his earnings from begging for cash, claiming he makes roughly $1,000 a day.
“I don’t like to work,” he tells followers. “Boys, in the US there are a million tricks, a million things to do,” he says as he outlines how to live effectively for free in a new country.
“I’ve concluded that the American Dream is real,” he said in a separate post, adding that he has lived for more than a year in the US and never had to work. “This is food of the best quality that they just give you.”
“Subject has been on national news for being viral on Tiktok encouraging illegal immigration,” ICE documents obtained by The Post state of Moreno.
Moreno also claimed child services is investigating him for using his baby daughter in posts about scamming and begging.
However, that too appeared to be a scam as Gahanna Police said they were “not aware of any investigation involving this individual and Children’s Services.”
Moreno claims he traversed 12 countries to reach the US and tried to seek asylum in Canada last year alongside his wife, but ultimately came to America because he didn’t get free handouts up north.
“They didn’t give us the hotel they promised,” he said in a video posted to his Instagram account last year.
“They gave us a month and then kicked us out, and didn’t give us the papers they promised. They didn’t give us a job and didn’t give us asylum.”
After his wife gave birth, Moreno shared from the hospital that the couple didn’t pay anything to have their daughter, thanking “Papa Biden” for paying.
The Venezuelan migrant also instructs followers on how to carry out scams, such as claiming abandoned vehicles to sell for scrap and giving tips on how to return clothes which have been worn.
He also told his followers to pretend they’re injured by making a leg cast with plastic and velcro.
“Work is for slaves, boys. Remember that work is for slaves. Where have you seen a millionaire work? Don’t humiliate yourself…You have to be creative to ask for money,” he said.
