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Illegal Alien Who Encouraged Others to Invade American Homes Arrested by ICE

Madeline Leesman
Madeline Leesman  |  April 02, 2024 10:30 AM

An illegal alien who went viral on TikTok for urging others to invade American homes and invoke squatters’ rights was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, according to a report from Fox News. 

To recap, Leonel Moreno, a Venezuelan national, said in a TikTok video, “If a house is not inhabited, we can seize it,” and boasted that he has “African friends” who’ve “already taken about seven homes.” In the video, Moreno said he thought that invading homes would be his “next business.”

Predictably, the video went viral, with many users flagging the government in the comments of the video, urging officials to get involved. 

Reports noted that Moreno illegally crossed the southern border in April 2022. He was reportedly residing in the Columbus, Ohio area and frequently posted content showing his family’s food stamps and other benefits. He was on the run from immigration officials, which Townhall covered.

Late last week, Moreno was arrested by the ICE Detroit field office and is now in federal custody. He was reportedly caught in Gahanna, Ohio (via Fox News):

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ICE later confirmed in a statement that he was arrested and is detained "pending further immigration proceedings."

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Moreno had previously claimed his family is receiving $350 a week in government handouts and that he is making over $1,000 a day as a TikTok influencer. His account, which had over half a million followers, had gone inactive earlier this week, but his presence on Instagram remained.

Around the time of the controversy surrounding Moreno, Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law removing squatters’ rights in the state.

“We even have illegal aliens taking to social media instructing other foreigners how to come into this country and commandeer property. They have gotten involved in this,” DeSantis said in remarks last week. “What passes muster in New York and California does not pass muster here. You are not going to be able to commandeer somebody’s private property and expect to get away with it. We are, in the state of Florida, ending squatters’ scam once and for all.”