ICE Reportedly Deports Venezuelan ‘Influencer’ Who Encouraged Migrants To Squat In Homes

U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly deported Leonel Moreno, an influencer who was illegally in the U.S., back to Venezuela by plane this week.

Moreno allegedly caused issues on the plane and had to be placed in a different area of the aircraft with additional security to keep order, the New York Post first reported. The reason for the alleged disruption remains unknown.

Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, welcomed Moreno back home, according to the outlet. Moreno reached public prominence through his use of TikTok. He posted a video telling other illegal aliens in Spanish how to take advantage of squatters’ rights and calling on them to “invade” empty habitations. “I found out that there is a law that says that if a house is not inhabited, we can seize it. Guys here in United States also applies the of land invasion and I think that will be my next business, invading abandoned houses,” he said.

‘Migrant influencer’ who urged other illegals to squat in US homes deported to Venezuela https://t.co/KIl5ttueRm pic.twitter.com/rmtDaqbOq7

— New York Post (@nypost) March 28, 2025

Moreno, who illegally entered the United States back in April 2022, was released from custody on parole, according to internal documents from ICE. Moreno failed to abide by the rules of the Alternatives for Detention program and was classified as an “absconder,” the agency said. “Subject has been on national news for being viral on TikTok encouraging illegal immigration,” ICE documents noted. (RELATED: ‘Republicans Are Done Playing This Racist Game’: House Rep Says Democrats Will No Longer Intimidate Them)

A court ordered his deportation back in September 2024 but Venezuela had halted deportation flights in retaliation to U.S. sanctions, the Post reported.

Moreno previously appeared to boast about gaming the American system. “I didn’t cross the Rio Grande to work like a slave,” he said in one video while appearing to wave a bunch of $100 bills around. “I came to the U.S. to mark my territory.”

The illegal alien claimed that he could support himself, his child and his wife based on the cash he received over an 18-month period, according to the Post. ICE said Moreno allegedly served as a sergeant for Venezuela’s military intelligence directorate, sources previously told the outlet. ICE and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were also reportedly weighing whether to charge the migrant with gun-related crimes back in April 2024.

““I came here to the United States because of persecution in my country … But they’re doing the same thing to me in the United States — persecuting me,” Moreno told the New York Post after his apprehension. “It’s all misinformation in the media about me. They’re defaming me. They’re misrepresenting me in the news … I am a good father, a good husband, a good son, a good person, humble, respectful to people who respect me.”

ICE has not yet responded to the Daily Caller’s inquiry into the matter.