An illegal immigrant from Venezuela who became a social media sensation for mocking America and encouraging illegal occupation has been ordered to leave the United States, the New York Post reports exclusively.
A Department of Homeland Security source told The Post that an Ohio judge ordered Leonel Moreno, 27, deported on September 9.
Moreno was initially arrested in March after failing to show up for a routine immigration inspection with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He illegally entered the U.S. in Eagle Pass, Texas, on April 23, 2022.
The Post said it was unclear whether Moreno would actually be deported. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government recently halted flights of migrants, complicating the deportation process.
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Leonel Moreno was reportedly ordered deported in early September. (@Leitooficial_26/Instagram / iStock)
Moreno gained notoriety in early 2024 for his incendiary TikTok videos, in which he flaunted his large amount of money, boasted about not working, and mocked immigrants who work in landscaping, construction and cleaning.
“I didn’t cross the Rio Grande to work like a slave,” Moreno was quoted as saying in Spanish. “I came to the United States to claim my territory.”
Moreno also claimed his family receives $350 a week in government assistance and that he was making $1,000 a week from TikTok, where screenshots show he encouraged fellow migrants to camp out in abandoned buildings.
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Leonel Moreno addresses his followers through a mix of still images taken from his videos. (@Leitooficial_26/Instagram)
After his TikTok account, which had attracted more than 500,000 followers, was deleted earlier this year, Moreno bragged about how much money he had made on Facebook and Instagram.
“Yes, they closed my TikTok account, but I continue to make money on Facebook and Instagram,” the migrant reportedly said in Spanish. “I don’t make the same money as before, but I’m going to get my TikTok account back and I’m going to keep making money.”
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Venezuelan TikTok user Leonel Moreno called on illegal immigrants to occupy abandoned buildings and exercise their squatter rights. (TikTok/Screenshot/Leonel Moreno)
Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for additional information.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Price contributed to this report.
