The Venezuelan influencer Leonel Moreno, known on social media as “Leito Oficial,” was deported from the United States to Venezuela along with a group of 178 migrants on a Conviasa flight on the night of Thursday, March 27, according to local media outlet AlbertoNews.
Moreno, 27, rose to fame on TikTok for encouraging the illegal occupation of homes in the United States. He had entered the country irregularly on April 23, 2022, through Eagle Pass, Texas. Upon arrival, he was admitted to the “Alternatives to Detention” (ATD) program, designed to release certain migrants under supervision instead of detaining them. However, he failed to comply with the program’s conditions by not reporting to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office within 60 days, leading to his classification as a fugitive.
Finally, in 2024, he was arrested in Gahanna, Ohio, by an ICE fugitive operations team.
Moreno amassed over half a million followers on TikTok, where he promoted the invasion of unoccupied homes, claiming that laws existed to protect squatters. In one of his most viral videos, he stated, “I found out there’s a law that says if a house is unoccupied, we can take it over.” He also frequently displayed large sums of cash, attributed his earnings to his influencer career, and boasted about receiving social benefits from the U.S. government.
His content included mocking messages directed at people working traditional jobs. In one video, he said, “It hurts you because I make more money than you while you work like a slave,” adding that he would always earn a lot of money with little effort, while others would remain “exploited, miserable, and insignificant.”
The Nicolás Maduro regime organized an official reception for the deportees, including Moreno. Despite some repatriates having criminal records, they were presented as victims or resistance figures. The arrival took place in the early hours of Friday, March 28, at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía on a flight operated by the state-owned airline Conviasa.
The event was led by Diosdado Cabello, Minister of the Interior and second in command within the Chavista hierarchy, who has been accused by the United States of drug trafficking. In statements broadcast by state-run TV station VTV, Cabello said, “This flight brings 178 compatriots who have been persecuted and stigmatized in the United States.” Next to him was Anahí Arizmendi, head of the “Vuelta a la Patria” mission.
The official narrative omitted any mention of the deportees’ criminal records or immigration violations. Instead, they were portrayed as victims of “persecution” by the U.S. government, including Moreno, whose advocacy for illegal squatting and evasion of immigration controls was completely ignored.
Despite some deportees facing charges for fraud, evasion, or ties to criminal organizations, the Venezuelan regime chose to depict them as heroes.
