OPINION:
A Venezuelan migrant, Leonal Moreno, who is a social media influencer with about 300,000 followers on TikTok, and who earns his living by begging for money from strangers, has called on his base to cough up money to pay for the legal expenses of a fellow Venezuelan migrant — a 15-year-old named Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa — who was arrested on charges of shooting a woman in Times Square.
Moreno, go home. And take the 15-year-old shooting suspect with you. This is why America is so fed up with Democrats and their open borders: Law and order and right versus wrong have been flipped on their heads.
“I invite you to find [this 15-year-old’s] 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 on TikTok.
Oh, the poor little teenage shooting suspect — he feels frightened because he faces legal consequences for his alleged actions. Now he wants his mommy.
“An entire nation [is] on top of him instead of helping him — remember that the young man is going to be released. And he will be released, do you know what? Because he’s underage,” Moreno said. “You don’t know when God is going to put you in a situation like the one this young man is in.”
The teen was arrested and charged with attempted murder after a camera caught him allegedly shooting a woman, 38, who was visiting New York City from Brazil. Police say Rivas-Figueroa was shoplifting in a sporting goods store, was stopped by a security guard, and then opened fire — hitting the female tourist in her leg, before fleeing. Police also say he shot back at officers while fleeing, but did not hit any of them.
He was apprehended at his mother’s home in Yonkers, taken to jail and denied bail after the judge deemed him a flight risk.
And he’s the victim, according to TikTok’s Moreno.
“Let’s unite forces so that this child can be free and has an opportunity,” Moreno said.
According to Fox News, Moreno’s TikTok is filled with content that “focuses around his lifestyle and how he earns an income by begging strangers on the streets and living off of money distributed by the government.”
For instance, Fox wrote, in one video Moreno said he came to the United States “to vacation,” while in another he said, “I confess that I don’t like to work because it gives me allergies” and that “they” — an apparent reference to those who don’t appreciate how he provides for his family by begging and living off public assistance — “keep criticizing us because I live off of taxes that you pay monthly.”
The New York Post says Moreno lives in Ohio and that he encourages his social media followers to follow him into a life of leeching off Americans.
He should be top of the list for Donald Trump’s promised deportation campaign, if elected president in 2024.
America has a long and rich history of opening arms wide for those in other countries who seek to migrate to the United States, assimilate, contribute to the community, pay taxes and better themselves and their families. But lately, under Democrat control — under Joe Biden’s administration — the southern border has become a sieve and the worst of the worst are crossing into this country.
Those who commit crimes should face swift and stern justice.
But those who brazenly abuse America’s generosity and kindness don’t deserve to be here in the first place.
America doesn’t just need stronger security controls at the border. America needs better quality controls, as well. Those coming into this country ought to be pro-America, patriotic for our way of life, and determined to work hard for what they get. Less leeches, more leaders.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “Lockdown: The Socialist Plan To Take Away Your Freedom,” is available by clicking HERE or clicking HERE or CLICKING HERE.
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