A Venezuelan father who immigrated to the United States is taking to social media to share his controversial advice for fellow immigrants on how to survive in North America.
"I have thought about invading a house in the United States," Leonel Moreno said in one of his videos uploaded on Monday (March 18). "I found out that there is a law that says that if a house is not inhabited, we can seize it."
Highlights
- Leonel Moreno, a Venezuelan immigrant, shared advice on squatting in empty US homes to survive.
- Moreno considers selling squatted homes as his next business venture.
- Moreno claims his daughter's benefits as a major income source, calling her a "gold mine."
"I think that will be my next business: to invade abandoned houses."
Moreno said he spoke with some of his friends who migrated from Africa and told him they've already squatted "like seven houses."
Image credits: leitooficial_26
"As we are homeless, this is the only way we have to avoid living on the streets and being a burden for the State."
The father also claims that, according to the law, deteriorated houses can be occupied by others, repaired, and lived in. Moreno adds that immigrants can also sell the squatted homes if they desire.
"What do you think about this?" Moreno asked his followers regarding his plan.
Squatters and tenants' rights laws vary across the country, with some states providing protection for non-paying individuals, allowing them to occupy a property for extended periods.
In areas where complex laws bar police from taking action, homeowners have few options to reclaim their property beyond pursuing a civil case, which can take months, as per Fox News.
In a separate video, Moreno says he entered the country legally after "Papa Biden" signed his legal documentation, including his visa and residence permit.
In one video, Leonel Moreno told his followers to take advantage of US squatting laws and occupy a property
Image credits: leitooficial_26
Singing next to his baby daughter, he refers to illegal immigrants in derogatory terms, saying they're "rats" who don't share the benefits he has and work "degrading" jobs.
Last December, the man shared a clip in which he urged "good Venezuelans" to support a 15-year-old Venezuelan migrant who allegedly fired at cops and blasted a Times Square tourist in the leg.
"I invite you to find [his] mother and [for] all of us to unite to pay the fines [so] that the young Venezuelan feels that he's not alone during difficult moments," Moreno said in a video that received millions of views.
"Remember that up there, there's a God who sees everything [down here]. Today, it was him, but tomorrow, it could be you."
He also said he would take a car he found on the side of the road that had a missing wheel and no bumper, encouraging others to do the same. Moreno assumed the owner had crashed the vehicle and left it there.
The "migrant influencer" announced he would take it because he didn't have a car and added that he was considering selling the vehicle to a car junkyard to make money.
"I think that will be my next business: to invade abandoned houses," he said
He also said he receives $5,000 a month for his daughter, whom he called his “gold mine”
Posing with his daughter, Charo Leonela, the father said she's the reason he can put food on the table.
"For every child you have, the government gives you 5 thousand dollars a month," the on-screen text on one of his videos reads.
"That's why I don't work. The government gives my daughter what she deserves for being an American citizen."
"I don't need to work because this little princess receives a lot of money for being an American. She's the gold mine."
Image credits: Google Maps
Over 7 million people have fled Venezuela in recent years to escape the country’s authoritarian rule and economic crisis
Image credits: New York Post
Moreno also informed his compatriots of a "curious fact": that he could buy a weapon because he was an American citizen. "Now that we have our own guns, let's shoot," he said, standing in front of a store's weapon display. "I recommend you guys to come to this store so you can buy your first gun."
People reacted to Moreno's videos, writing, "As. Venezuelan citizen, I apologize to the entire Latin and American community. This makes us ashamed. Not all Venezuelans are like this."
7.7 million migrants have left Venezuela in recent years to escape authoritarian rule and the country's economic crisis, according to NPR.
Meanwhile, others referred to Moreno as an "enemy of the United States."
"This dude is going to get curb-stomped," somebody else said.
"Let's all denounce this video that incites crime. I already have," a separate social media user wrote.
"This guy needs to be charged with whatever crime," another critic wrote.
"Deport him immediately," someone wrote
