Illegal ‘Influencer’ Fundraises For Migrant Times Square Shooter

In another chapter in the ongoing open borders disaster being leveled on America by the Biden administration, Leonel Moreno, a Venezuelan social media influencer residing illegally in the United States, has sparked outrage by calling for financial support for Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa. Rivas-Figueroa, a fellow Venezuelan national, faces charges of attempted murder following a horrific incident in Times Square earlier this month, where his alleged gunfire injured a Brazilian tourist.

Moreno, leveraging his considerable social media following, urged nearly 300,000 of his followers to contribute to a bail fund for Rivas-Figueroa. “I invite you to look for his mother and all of us join to pay the bail,” Moreno stated in a widely viewed video. His plea did not sit well with law enforcement or policy experts, given the severity of the charges against Rivas-Figueroa and the broader implications for public safety and immigration law.

Critics, including Daniel Di Martino, a Manhattan Institute fellow and Venezuelan native, express deep frustration with this situation. “Americans should be outraged,” Di Martino stated, pointing to the exploitation of America’s legal and social systems. New York City Council members Joseph Borelli and Robert Holden echoed this sentiment, condemning the encouragement of criminal behavior and the misuse of crowdfunding for legal defense in serious criminal cases.

More than 173,000 known illegal migrants have arrived in New York City since early 2022. The flood of illegal migrants coming into the Big Apple has strained the city’s public assistance programs to the breaking point. Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has controversially announced a decision to extend state “Safety Net Assistance” to a large number of non-citizens who are illegally in the country.

The case also shows how foreign street gangs like Tren de Aragua are operating freely inside the city. Gangs are exploiting vulnerable new migrants in order to expand their criminal networks.

As New York and all of the country struggle with the challenges presented by the ongoing illegal migration invasion, the debate continues over how to reform immigration laws — or to simply enforce the federal laws already put on the books by Congress.