‘Migrant influencer’ may stay in US despite deportation order

Venezuelan ‘migrant influencer’ Leonel Moreno, known for encouraging illegal border crossers to squat in US homes and bragging how much free stuff he gets from the government, has been handed a deportation order by an Ohio-based immigration judge. Despite the ruling, Moreno is unlikely to be deported soon due to a diplomatic standoff. Venezuela’s government has halted deportation flights in retaliation for US sanctions, making it difficult for immigration authorities to enforce the judge’s order.

Moreno, who entered the US illegally in 2022 and was arrested in Ohio earlier this year, has stirred controversy with his online posts, where he bragged about avoiding work and using his US citizen child to gain benefits, thanking ‘Papa Biden.’ Despite remaining in custody, he claims to be a victim of ‘persecution’ and ‘misinformation,’ both in Venezuela and the US. Authorities have also linked him to military intelligence in Venezuela, though Moreno denies this, stating he merely served in the Venezuelan Navy. That’s not a euphemism for migrant boats.