Home Invasion Message
The TikTok video that Moreno gained notoriety from is the one where he told his followers, “I’m thinking about invading a house in the United States.”
Source: Wesley Tingey/Unsplash
He continued by explaining there is a law that would allow a person to seize a property if no one is living there. Thankfully, while he made it sound so easy, there are still safeguards in every state to keep adverse possession from happening.
'Successful’ Friends
Moreno’s video also spoke of his African friends, who have managed to seize seven properties. It was unclear who or where these friends exactly are, but the message is nonetheless alarming.
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Moreno himself appears to live in a suburb in Columbus, Ohio. It’s quite possible that these African friends also live nearby.
Escaping the Streets
The influencer seems to believe that his way of thinking is the only valid way for him and his fellow migrants to get off the streets.
Source: Leonel Moreno/Facebook
Invading an empty house and seizing it into his possession may be a viable way for him to provide a roof over his, his partner’s, and their baby’s heads. But the aggression emanating from his video did not endear him to the viewers, particularly US citizens with homes of their own.
Another Viral Alarm
It does seem like Moreno is courting controversy with his videos. Another video of his that went viral in February showed him throwing support behind another migrant who committed a crime.
Source: LuisSucesosLuis/X
15-year-old Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa was charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting a tourist in Times Square. Moreno invited his followers to “join to pay the bail” so the Venezuelan youth did not feel alone in difficult times. He also said, “He did something wrong, it’s okay.”
In Trouble With Child Services
This young migrant’s antics are getting him in deep waters, this time with Child Services over the participation of his daughter in his activities.
Source: Leonel Moreno/Tiktok
One of the things Moreno did was to parade his daughter around with a sign that says “give me a hug, it’s my birthday please.” He also ran other scams that included his daughter. Moreno claimed his fellow Venezuelans reported him to the authorities and said in a video, “What you did will never be pardoned by God.”
Bad Reputation for Venezuelans
Response from the Spanish-speaking community is also not that great. A fellow TikToker @feyfitzg21 recorded a video of her response of the whole “leitooficial” issue.
Source: feyfitzg21/TikTok
She said, “I don’t think he’s right in the head.” In response to the squatting video Moreno posted, she seemed baffled. Then she said, “He doesn’t represent the Venezuelan community or country. I have Venezuelan friends and they are not like him.”
The American Outrage
The Hispanic response to Moreno’s videos is mild compared to the Americans, who are justifiably outraged.
Source: Ludmila Aleksandra/Pexels
An American responded to Moreno’s squatter’s video by pointing out, “Pretty sure this is illegal and I feel like he’s encouraging others to engage in illegal activities.” But many others are angrier and call for the authorities, including the FBI, to investigate, arrest, and charge “that Venezuelan.”
Love and Hate
A lot of people both in the US and Venezuela may hate him for his trolling, but true to his scandal-mongering, some people still do support him. An X user, seemingly American and from California, invited him to squat in LA mansions.
Source: Ariel Blanco/Unsplash
There are also speculations that his “rage baiting” is only theatrics to grab more followers (and make more money as an influencer.) If this speculation is true, the coverage of his behavior on social media will only stoke the flames.
Turning Political
The issue turned political when Bernie Moreno, the GOP nominee in Ohio’s Senate election in Ohio, pitched in. The politician is not related to the influencer, although he also migrated from Colombia to the USA.
Source: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons
He called the influencer’s video a “type of lawless behavior” and blamed Joe Biden and incumbent Ohio Democratic Senator, Sherrod Brown, for the “border invasion.”
Not Only on TikTok
Moreno’s videos don’t only occupy TikTok. And even if his squatting video and the account @leitooficial_25 have been deleted from the platform, he still has backup accounts using the same name but with different numbers behind them.
Source: Pixabay/Pexels
His backup accounts, @leitooficial_21 and @leitooficial_26, only have fewer than 2,500 followers. But with his Instagram account, @leitooficial_26, he has more than 17,000 followers. There are also around 11,000 followers on Facebook and some also on Youtube. His original account, with around 500,000 followers, still had the highest follower count.
Taking It Seriously
Hopefully, the US government is taking Moreno’s messages seriously. Joking or not, his messages still cause public unrest, particularly among homeowners.
Source: CDC/Unsplash
If the Joe Biden administration hopes to bridge the gap between the immigrants and the US citizens, ignoring incendiary messages like Moreno’s will not help the issue. As of now, Americans have a right to worry over this migrant’s blatant disrespect of American law.