‘Influencer’ detained after posting videos on migrant legal loopholes

By Better Today On Mar 29, 2024

TL/DR –

Leonel Moreno, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, is in custody after going viral for encouraging newcomers to exploit U.S. squatters’ laws. Moreno entered the U.S. illegally in April 2022, was placed in the Alternatives to Detention program, but did not follow the rules and was subsequently listed as a pre-order absconder and terminated from the program. Moreno, now in custody, has a court appearance scheduled for February 2025 in Florida, but authorities previously had trouble locating him, with a potential address listed in Ohio.

Venezuelan Man Exploiting US Squatting Laws Arrested

NewsNation reports a Venezuelan man, who entered the U.S undocumented, is in custody after his infamous TikTok video where he promotes exploiting U.S. squatting laws for financial benefit. Leonel Moreno, or the “migrant influencer,” detailed squatting laws and suggested how to benefit from them. His account has since been removed.

“If a house is uninhabited, we can take it,” Moreno revealed before expressing intention to “invade abandoned houses.”

Moreno entered the U.S illegally in April 2022 and was given parole, but he didn’t check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was part of the Alternatives to Detention program, issued a tracking device, but was later removed due to non-compliance.

Sources from the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Moreno’s custody. Moreno has a court appearance scheduled for February 2025 in Florida, but authorities had difficulty finding him. His initially given address was for Catholic Charities in Miami, but he might now be in Ohio.

In related news, Fermin Garcia-Gutierrez in Ohio is another man allegedly exploiting system gaps. Butler County law enforcement reports Garcia-Gutierrez has been jailed 11 times using seven different names and three different birth dates. Despite being reported eight times, the 46-year-old repeatedly manages to return.

During Garcia-Gutierrez’s most recent arrest, he was charged with possession of drugs and weapons while intoxicated. Sherrif Richard Jones notes that since 2021, nearly 1,000 immigrant inmates with ICE detainers have been held in the county.