A Venezuelan TikToker who has gone viral for videos telling his followers how to exploit the US as a migrant has been deemed a troll by his countrymen.
Leonel Moreno, who goes by @leitooficial_25, has amassed half a million followers on TikTok with inflammatory videos in which he takes on the persona of a stereotypical free immigrant and tells his followers how to take advantage of America’s social safety net.
In one of his now-viral videos, the Ohio resident instructed his followers how to ‘invade’ American homes and invoke squatters’ rights, claiming that under US law, ‘if a house is not occupied, we can seize it’.
Moreno also made headlines in February after he called on Venezuelans to unite to help a 15-year-old migrant accused of shooting a tourist and trying to kill an NYPD officer in Times Square.
The videos have been widely shared as Venezuelan migrants fleeing their country’s collapse become one of the largest nationalities arriving at the US-Mexico border.
Leonel Moreno has amassed half a million followers on TikTok with inflammatory videos in which he takes on the persona of a stereotypical freeloading immigrant
Some of his other videos show him claiming to beg for money on the street with his young daughter
Venezuelans have taken to social media to denounce him as a troll and accuse him of using their plight to become an influencer while fueling hatred against migrants
Venezuelans have taken to social media to denounce him as a troll and accuse him of using their plight to become an influencer, while unleashing hatred against migrants who plan to work for a better life in the United States.
“He has gone completely viral for all the wrong reasons and is a complete embarrassment and disgrace to my home country,” wrote Daniel Laplana on X.
“I have nothing but contempt for the guy and his excruciating caricature of a Venezuelan migrant,” said Venezuelan-American Rafael Estruve, president of the Houston Young Republicans.
However, there were some who argued that “some” agree with Moreno, suggesting that socialist regimes create people who are dependent on the government.
“I think he represents a part of us,” said one Venezuelan X user. ‘Like it or not, the Cubans have a PhD in government programs.’
Others accused Moreno or ‘rage baiting’ many Venezuelans believe he is intentionally trying to incite anger to receive more views and be profitable on TikTok as the US receives a record number of Venezuelans.
The coverage actually seems to have helped Moreno grow his following — back in February, when one of his videos first went viral, he had under 219,000 followers, about half of what he has now.
Other videos show him bragging about using the financial aid he allegedly receives from the government to buy his young child a car
On Friday, Moreno live-streamed himself sleeping, with a whopping 270 people viewing the static image and sending donations.
One of the comments left by his fans read: ‘Making money while you sleep lol you’re the best.’
“His performance is a gross mixture of incompetence and arrogance on full display, and he is by far one of the absolute worst representations of Venezuelans on a public platform.”
Tomas Lugo, who still lives in Venezuela, said: ‘He must be deported immediately and his deportation must go viral.’
On Friday, Moreno live-streamed himself sleeping, with a whopping 270 people viewing the static image and sending donations
Some of his other videos show him claiming to beg for money on the street with his young daughter. Others show him bragging about using the financial aid he allegedly receives from the government to buy his young child a car.
In several clips, Moreno shows viewers a dingy area under a bridge that he claims would serve as a great living space while he saves up to rent a home.
Many of his fans seem to see Moreno as some kind of comedian, with comments claiming that he is
But regardless of Moreno’s intentions or real views, his comments have sparked outrage among Americans already worried about the crisis at the border, fueled largely by Venezuelans fleeing socialism.
One comment on Moreno’s TikTok read: ‘We Americans will vote for politicians in November who will deport you back to Venezuela as soon as possible.’
Another read: ‘I hope they take your baby away from you and send you back to your country, you are causing too much trouble.’
Venezuelans represent the largest displacement crisis in the world, with more than 7.7 million people outside their nation – even larger than Ukrainians and Syrians.
It is a rare case of massive migration from a country not at war but which has seen one of the most extreme reversals of fortunes in recent history after the socialist takeover 20 years ago.
Venezuela has faced political, economic and humanitarian crises over the past decade, making food and other necessities unaffordable for those who remain. The vast majority of those who fled settled in neighboring Latin American countries, but many began coming to the United States in the past three years.