Venezuelan tiktoker Leonel Moreno, better known by his pseudonym “Leito,” was arrested by ICE this Saturday in Ohio, according to Fox News journalist Bill Melugin.
BREAKING: ICE official tells me Venezuelan illegal alien “TikTok influencer” Leonel Moreno was arrested by ICE’s Fugitive Ops team in Columbus, Ohio today, and he is now in federal custody. ICE tells FOX Moreno previously crossed illegally into the U.S. in April 2022, and was… pic.twitter.com/agwxvOIzto
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 29, 2024
According to an ICE statement cited by Melugin, Moreno, 27, had been wanted by immigration authorities since April 2022 after he illegally entered the United States from Eagle Pass, Texas.
According to the statement, the young migrant was released as part of the Alternatives to Detention Program, which allows immigrants to be released while authorities track their location until their next court date.
According to the program, Moreno was supposed to appear before an ICE office within 60 days of his arrival at his destination, but he never showed up and was registered as a fugitive.
“Leito” was eventually arrested in Columbus, Ohio, and is now in federal custody after officials spent almost a year and a half searching for him.
NEW: ICE statement confirming Venezuelan illegal alien “TikTok influencer” Leonel Moreno was arrested by ICE in Ohio today. pic.twitter.com/6N1lIVlMvH
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 29, 2024
His controversial videos on social networks were decisive for the authorities to locate the illegal Venezuelan migrant who has been highly questioned by both American citizens and immigrants who accuse him of promoting hatred and xenophobia.
“Leito”: The tiktoker who “taught” others how to live off the government and promoted property invasion
The Venezuelan generated great interest at the national level after his videos on TikTok and Instagram went viral among migrants of various nationalities in the United States.
In his videos, “Leito” exploited the image of his little daughter and said that the government paid her up to $5,000 a month for the mere fact that she is a US citizen.
The illegal migrant also boasted that the government gave his family $350 a week and mocked Americans and legal migrants who worked because he made a living thanks to state handouts.
The influencer automatically generated criticism among migrants who accused him of generating a lousy impression of immigrants arriving in the United States, especially Venezuelans fleeing the humanitarian and political crisis in their country. “Leito” also gained national fame among Americans in February when he publicly asked Venezuelans to come together to help a 15-year-old migrant accused of shooting a tourist and trying to kill a New York police officer in Times Square.
The migrant recently also went viral for promoting the invasion of abandoned homes. According to “Leito” in one of his many videos, US law allows the invasion of properties that are not occupied, and he assured that he was thinking of invading empty homes to obtain financial benefit. “I discovered that there is a law that says that, if a house is not inhabited, we can expropriate it,” said “Leito” in one of his videos.
In fact, the young man also said that several of his African friends had told him that they carried out these types of invasions to get money by renting properties.
However, after his videos went viral, his TikTok account was deleted for apparently promoting criminal activities.
In his videos, “Leito” usually adopted a provocative tone and insulted people who worked honestly in the United States but criticized their way of living at the expense of taxpayers. ” You are hurt because I earn more than you without much work while you work like a slave, do you understand?” he once said. “That’s the difference between you and me. I will always make a lot of money without much work, and you will always be exploited, miserable and insignificant.”
However, recently, he left the confrontational tone behind and appeared fearful in several strange videos where he denounced, without presenting evidence, that he was in mortal danger in the United States while being pursued by the FBI.
The migrant was seen desperate, screaming and on the verge of crying in several videos that once again generated criticism and ridicule on social networks.
