Tearful wife of ‘migrant influencer’ who urged others to ‘invade’ US, squat in homes can’t see husband, who’s in Ohio jail
The wife of the “migrant influencer” who urged people to “invade” the United States grew emotional Saturday as she revealed she’s not allowed to see her jailed husband.
Veronica Torres was spotted crying outside the Sonesta Simply Suites Columbus Airport long-stay hotel in Gahanna, a suburb of Columbus, a day after her husband, Leonel Moreno, was booked into jail.
“We don’t know where they took him and I can’t see him,” she told The Post.
“I can’t give you any more information because I don’t know much.”
Many hotel guests — half of whom are paying guests — said they saw Moreno inside the hotel last week before his arrest and said he “kept to himself.”
“I’ve seen him here for a week,” Chrissy Rowell, 30, told The Post. “He didn’t bother anyone.”
Moreno became popular online after posting videos to social media encouraging other migrants to invade the country and invoke squatter’s rights.
In many videos, he waved around wads of money that he claimed was from government handouts and begging for cash.
“I didn’t cross the Rio Grande to work like a slave,” Moreno said in one Instagram clip.
“I came to the US to mark my territory.”
“You’re hurt because I make more than you without much work while you work like slaves, understand?”
By the time TikTok shut down his account, he had around 500,000 followers.
Moreno was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday and is being held at Geauga County Jail, ICE records show.
The arrest comes after The Post exclusively reported how Moreno had skipped out on ICE soon after crossing the Texas border illegally in 2022.
“Moreno was placed into the Alternatives To Detention program by Border Patrol and was told to report to Enforcement and Removal Operations office within 60 days of arriving at his destination,” an ICE spokesperson told The Post.
“Moreno did not report as required. On March 29, 2024, Moreno was arrested in Gahanna, Ohio, by officers with ERO Detroit’s Columbus office and is currently detained pending further immigration proceedings.”
Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand confirmed the migrant is cooling his heels in the Columbus-area jail, adding, “ICE agents will come get him if he needs to be moved and take him wherever he needs to be taken.”
With the religious holiday, Hildenbrand said, most courts were closed Friday. It is unclear when Moreno will go to court.
