Leonel Moreno, the Venezuelan migrant who gained notoriety for flaunting US government handouts and urging illegal border crossers to squat in American homes, has been deported back to Venezuela. His removal comes amid US President Donald Trump‘s renewed deportation efforts.
Moreno, known for his controversial TikTok videos boasting about US welfare benefits and advising migrants to “invade abandoned houses,” was sent back this week, according to a report from New York Post. However, his departure was not without drama; he reportedly caused a disruption on the deportation flight, prompting officials to place him in a separate section of the plane under extra security.
The Venezuelan minister of interior, justice, and peace, Diosdado Cabello, welcomed Moreno’s return, but details on why he disrupted the flight remain unclear. Upon landing, Moreno flashed a thumbs-up as he was escorted off the plane.
From viral infamy to deportation
Moreno illegally crossed the Texas border in April 2022 and was released into the US. He later failed to comply with immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) check-ins, leading to his arrest in Ohio in March 2024.
An immigration judge had ordered his deportation in October 2023, but at the time, Venezuela refused to accept US deportation flights. Following Trump‘s reinstatement of deportations to the country, Moreno was transferred to an ICE detention center in Texas in preparation for his removal.
Outrage over his social media antics
During his time in the US, Moreno caused public outrage with his social media posts. He frequently showcased wads of cash while claiming he didn’t “cross the Rio Grande to work like a slave.” He also bragged about using his US-born child to boost his social media presence and claimed his daughter’s birth was fully funded by “Papa Biden.”
Additionally, ICE was investigating Moreno’s alleged past as a sergeant in Venezuela’s military intelligence service and his social media activity featuring firearms.
Claims of ‘persecution’
Before his deportation, Moreno maintained his innocence, claiming he was a victim of unjust persecution in both Venezuela and the US.
“I came here to the United States because of persecution in my country … But they’re doing the same thing to me here,” he told reporters.
Despite his complaints, Moreno’s deportation marks a high-profile removal under the Trump administration‘s crackdown on illegal immigration.
