'Papa Biden funded my daughter's birth': Migrant influencer kicked out of US; urged illegals to squat in American homes
World: Leonel Moreno used TikTok to boast about US welfare benefits and encouraged illegal crossers to stay in the US. He advised migrants to "invade abandoned houses".
A Venezuelan migrant who gained popularity for urging illegal border crossers to squat in American homes, has been deported back to Venezuela this week, according to The New York Post.
Leonel Moreno used TikTok to boast about US welfare benefits and encouraged illegal crossers to stay in the US. He advised migrants to "invade abandoned houses".
His deportation comes as US President Donald Trump continues to tighten immigration policies.
Moreno allegedly caused a disturbance on the deportation flight, after which the authorities placed him in a separate section under heightened security.
Also read: 'Left my cat behind...': Indian student who self-deported from US says, 'Columbia let me down'
How did it start?
)
Meta AI chief Alexandr Wang’s role evolves as Mark Zuckerberg restructures AI leadership
)
'Nobel Cannibal': Khamenei’s X account posts ghastly Trump cartoon after POTUS floats Tomahawk theory on Iran school strike
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
5 cricket teams with most ICC titles, check where India stands
)
Iran could have acquired a nuclear weapon from North Korea in just 72 hours, former Trump adviser warns
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Iran's new Ayatollah, Mojtaba Khamenei, owns properties worth Rs 2,500 crore in London alone: Report
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
‘Titanic’ twist: Mystery artists install shocking Trump-Epstein statue on Washington’s National Mall – PICS
)
Brain dead woman comes back to life in India after ambulance hits huge pothole on UP highway
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
North Korea's message to US amid Iran war? Kim tests cruise missile as America moves THAAD system out of S Korea: What's happening
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
FACT CHECK: Benjamin Netanyahu assassinated in Iranian strike? Truth behind massive claim
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'Pentagon's soft target': How Stryker hack is hitting US military hospitals
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
The EA-18G Growler: How the USS Abraham Lincoln entirely blinds Iran's coastal radars
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'European hypocrisy': Why UK PM Keir Starmer refuses to seize Khamenei's London empire like they did to Russians during Ukraine War?
)
'Expel US & Israeli ambassadors': IRGC offers 'full freedom' in Strait of Hormuz to Arab, European nations on one condition
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meet 5 Indian batters with most runs in T20 World Cup 2026
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Who Was Zahra Haddad-Adel? Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife killed in US-Israel strike on Iran: Know more about family, kids
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'$100 billion medical giant': What is Stryker Corp, that got hit by Iran-linked cyberattack?
Moreno illegally entered the US illegally via the Texas border in April 2022. However, he failed to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) check-ins, which led to his arrest in Ohio in March 2024.
An immigration judge ordered his deportation in October 2023, but at the time, Venezuela did not accept US deportation flights.
However after Trump began pushing the deportations, Moreno was transferred to an ICE detention centre in Texas.
Also read: ‘No women, children restrained’: US responds to India’s concerns of mistreatment of deportees
While he was in the US, Moreno's social media posts caused public outrage. Frequently, he showcased wads of cash while claiming he didn't "cross the Rio Grande to work like a slave".
Moreover, he also bragged about using his US-born child to boost his social media presence, claiming his daughter's birth was fully funded by "Papa Biden".
His remarks were seen as a mockery of the US welfare system, which attracted online backlash.
Further, the ICE was also probing Moreno's possible history as a sergeant in Venezuela's military intelligence service.
Notably, his social media activity, which included posts featuring firearms raised concerns.
Before he was deported, Moreno claimed that he was a victim of injustice 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.
Also read: Planning a US trip? Know your rights before you land to avoid getting detained or deported
(With inputs from agencies)
