“Immigrant Influencer” in Jail Claims He’s Being Persecuted

(DailyVantage.com) – A controversial internet personality and illegal immigrant notorious for instructing followers on how to exploit laws and policies in the U.S. is now lamenting his current situation after he was arrested for repeatedly failing to appear before required check-ins with officers.

The 27-year-old influencer, Leonel Moreno, had half a million followers on social media site TikTok before he was banned from the platform. He gained notoriety for several controversial posts, including ones where he provided instructions on how illegal immigrants could use U.S. squatter laws to supposedly forcibly “invade” private property and take it for themselves. Moreno said that he planned on following his own advice and illegally occupying properties in the U.S., which he said he would then sell for a profit.

Now, Moreno is accusing the media of “defaming” and “misrepresenting” him and is saying that he is being “persecuted” by U.S. authorities.

“I miss my entire life – I miss my freedom!” he said in a tele-interview with news outlet The New York Post. The illegal immigrant, who hails from Venezuela, has even had the audacity of invoking the First Amendment, saying that his right to free speech is being restricted.

Moreno is also claiming that he is only playing a “character” in his TikTok videos and says that he is “respectful to people” in real life.

Moreno entered the U.S. illegally through the southern border in 2022, but was released under the Biden administration’s Alternatives to Detention initiative, a program that gives illegal immigrants border paroles and releases them from custody. He entered the country with his wife, Veronica, and they have since had a 1-year-old son while staying in the States.

Moreno also had posts where he waved several hundred-dollar bills at his audience, mocking migrants working regular jobs whom he called “slaves.” Some videos also show him operating and handling firearms – the NY Post reported that authorities are also looking into the possibility of slapping the illegal immigrant influencer with federal firearms charges.