GET THE APP
Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Category: Immigration
March 31, 2025
William Upton
Crime
Immigration

Trump Deports Migrant ‘Influencer’ Who Encouraged Illegal Squatting on TikTok.

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Venezuelan influencer Leonel Moreno was deported to Caracas after being apprehended by U.S. immigration authorities.

👥 Who’s Involved: Leonel Moreno, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, Venezuelan deportees.

📍 Where & When: Moreno was deported from the United States and arrived in Caracas on a Friday morning in 2025.

💬 Key Quote: Diosdado Cabello noted that “many of the people who were on the flight were upset because his campaign was to point out that Venezuelans in the world are criminals.”

⚠️ Impact: Moreno’s videos urging illegal acts stirred controversy among deportees, requiring heightened security measures during the deportation flight.

IN FULL:

Venezuelan national Leonel Moreno, the infamous illegal immigrant social media influencer who gained notoriety in the midst of the Biden government’s border crisis last year, has finally been deported to Caracas following his arrest in Ohio by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2024. Morena first gained social media attention through TikTok, where he amassed over 500,000 followers with content boasting about exploiting American taxpayer funds, illegally squatting in homes,  and encouraging illegal activities.

Upon his return to Caracas, Moreno was one of 178 Venezuelan deportees who landed at Simón Bolívar International Airport. Venezuela’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, confirmed the deportation. According to Cabello, Moreno’s presence on the flight caused a disturbance among the other deportees. The Venezuelan interior minister claimed that “many of the people who were on the flight were upset because his campaign was to point out that Venezuelans in the world are criminals.”

The National Pulse previously reported that Moreno’s social media content encouraged illegal immigrants to engage in criminal acts including squatting in unoccupied homes. “I found out that there is a law that says that if a house is not inhabited, we can seize it,” Moreno states in one video, claiming that his friends have “already taken about seven homes.” Moreno went on to argue that illegal immigrants must “invade” unoccupied homes to avoid living on the streets.

In other videos, Moreno claimed to easily acquire money from U.S. aid and mocked individuals with traditional employment. He referred to former President Joe Biden as “Papa Biden” while fanning out an array of American dollars.

While Moreno was finally arrested by immigration enforcement agents last year, his deportation was halted due to Venezuela’s refusal to accept their own citizens back from the United States. However, after the 2024 presidential election, President Donald J. Trump was able to push Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro to begin accepting deportation flights again, clearing the way for Moreno and hundreds of other Venezuelans to be removed.

show less

PULSE POINTS:

show more
March 31, 2025
William Upton
Election Integrity
Immigration

Elon Musk Says 2.1 Million Non-Citizens Got Social Security Numbers in 2024.

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Approximately 2.1 million noncitizens reportedly obtained social security numbers in 2024, according to an investigation by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

👥 Who’s Involved: Elon Musk, as DOGE’s frontman, made the claim alongside Antonio Gracias, CEO of Valor Equity Partners.

📍 Where & When: The information was revealed at a Sunday town hall event in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

💬 Key Quote: “This wasn’t an accident. This was a massive, large-scale program under the Biden administration to import as many illegals as possible—ultimately to change the voting map of the United States, disenfranchise the American people, and lock in a permanent deep-blue, one-party state from which there’d be no escape.” — Elon Musk.

⚠️ Impact: The claim highlights potential inefficiencies in the social security system and raises questions about the granting of social security numbers to noncitizens.

IN FULL:

Elon Musk, fronting the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), asserts that a significant number of noncitizens— approximately 2.1 million—acquired social security numbers in 2024. According to the tech mogul, the number of noncitizens—believed to be primarily illegal immigrants—attaining social security numbers has exponentially increased over the last several years, suggesting the federal government had been aware of the issue but chose to ignore it.

The revelations were made during a town hall event in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Musk appeared alongside Antonio Gracias, CEO of Valor Equity Partners. Gracias presented findings indicating that while only 270,000 noncitizens received social security numbers in 2021, the figure surged to 2.1 million in 2024. He credited the staff at the Social Security Administration for their cooperation in uncovering these inconsistencies.

“This is a mind-blowing chart. This wasn’t an accident,” Musk said during the event. “This was a massive, large-scale program under the Biden administration to import as many illegals as possible—ultimately to change the voting map of the United States, disenfranchise the American people, and lock in a permanent deep-blue, one-party state from which there’d be no escape.”

Notably, Musk’s contention that Democrats use illegal immigrants to game the U.S. Census and alter U.S. electoral maps has been raised by Republicans for some time. Additionally, the fraudulent social security numbers allow illegal immigrants to serve as cheap foreign labor without having to attain government work permits, which would give a better idea of how many unlawful entries are occurring along the southern border.

Concerningly, the illegal immigrants issued social security numbers also appear to be taking advantage of U.S. entitlement programs. “We found 1.3 million of them already on Medicaid as an example. On every benefit program we went through, we found groups from this particular group of people, 5.5 million people in those benefit programs,” Antonio Gracias said. “And then what was really, really disturbing us was why. We’re asking ourselves why. And so we actually just took a sample and looked at voter registration records, and we found people here registered to vote in this population,” he added.

Noncitizen voters have become an increasingly concerning problem in U.S. elections. The National Pulse has previously reported that studies show these illegal voters are more than three times as likely to vote for Democratic candidates. Polling surveys suggest a statistically significant number of noncitizens currently vote in U.S. elections, undermining the integrity of election results.

show less

PULSE POINTS:

show more
March 31, 2025
Crime
Immigration
UK

‘Turkish’ Barber Shops Raided in Drug Money Laundering Crackdown.

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: Authorities in the United Kingdom have conducted raids on several barber shops allegedly involved in laundering drug money. Tens of thousands of pounds have been seized.

👥 Who’s Involved: The National Crime Agency (NCA) is spearheading the operation with support from local police, immigration officials, and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

📍 Where & When: Raids occurred over the past month across multiple British towns and cities.

💬 Key Quote: “Intelligence linking the use of barber shops, as well as other cash-intensive businesses, to money laundering and other criminality has risen in recent years,” noted an NCA spokesman.

⚠️ Impact: The raids aim to curb criminal activity linked to organized crime through increased scrutiny of cash-intensive enterprises such as barber shops.

IN FULL:

British authorities have launched a series of raids on “Turkish” barber shops suspected of money laundering and other illicit activities. Led by the National Crime Agency (NCA), the operations have recovered tens of thousands of pounds from various shops across the country over the past month.

Barber shops, most often labeled as “Turkish” but managed by individuals of different nationalities, are being scrutinized for their cash-only operations. These shops reportedly serve as fronts for money laundering, tax evasion, and illegal employment of migrants. In some instances, inspectors have observed a discrepancy between the declared earnings and the customer activity, noting that multiple barber shops on the same street were reporting high income despite appearing empty.

The proliferation of barber shops in Britain has been noteworthy, with over 750 outlets opening last year alone. There are currently more than 18,000 barber shops across the country, a 15 percent rise since 2018. Intelligence linking cash-intensive businesses like barber shops to organized crime has recently increased.

The growing preponderance of barber shops, vape shops, phone repair stores, and other questionably viable businesses on British streets, usually run by migration-background operators, and the likelihood they are fronts for criminal enterprises has become a significant talking point among the online right.

In 2022, Hewa Rehimpur, a former London barber involved in a human smuggling network, was apprehended for trafficking offenses. This pan-European ring allegedly trafficked thousands of migrants to the United Kingdom on small boats across the English Channel. Rehimpur is now serving an 11-year sentence in Belgium following his extradition and trial.

Image via National Crime Agency. 

show less

PULSE POINTS:

show more
March 28, 2025
William Upton
Immigration
Lawfare
NatSec

Trump Takes Boasberg to the Supreme Court.

PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: President Trump’s DOJ is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal judge blocked the deportation of Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members using the Alien Enemies Act.

👤Who’s Involved: President Donald J. Trump, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, DOJ, Tren de Aragua gang members, U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit, and the governments of El Salvador and Venezuela.

🧠 Key Quote: “Only this Court can stop rule-by-TRO from further upending the separation of powers—the sooner, the better,” Trump’s legal team argues.

📍Where/When: The TRO was issued earlier this month; the appeal is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.

⚖️ Fallout: The D.C. Circuit refused to stay the order but allowed the appeal to proceed, acknowledging the national security implications. The case may set a precedent in reining in judicial overreach on executive powers.

🔥 Significance: This is a major test of presidential authority in national security, immigration, and foreign diplomacy. If SCOTUS sides with Trump, it could curtail the growing judicial trend of blocking executive actions via temporary restraining orders.

IN FULL:

Continue reading “Trump Takes Boasberg to the Supreme Court.”

show less

PULSE POINTS:

show more
March 28, 2025
Raheem J. Kassam
Immigration

REVEALED: The Bizarre Story of the Anti-Putin Harvard Scientist Who Tried to Smuggle Frog Embryos into the U.S., And Now Fears Deportation.

IN BRIEF.

❓What Happened: A Russian scientist was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after undeclared frog embryo samples were found in her luggage. She claims her anti-war views will have her killed in her native Russia if she is forced to return.

👥 Who’s Involved: Kseniya Petrova, a Russian scientist from Harvard Medical School; Cora Anderson, Petrova’s friend and colleague; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Petrova’s boss, Leon Peshkin.

📍 Where & When: Boston Logan International Airport, February 16. Petrova was initially held in Vermont and later moved to a facility in Louisiana.

💬 Key Quote: “Despite having lawyers and the fact she did not do anything illegal in the first place, she is still there, and we have no idea when she will be paroled,” claimed Cora Anderson, her friend, on Facebook.

⚠️ Impact: A newly invigorated and strict border control operation under the Trump administration is showing the world it will not tolerate law-breaking.

IN FULL.

A Russian scientist affiliated with Harvard Medical School has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after returning from a trip to France. Kseniya Petrova was stopped at Boston Logan International Airport on February 16, according to a Facebook post by her friend and colleague, Cora Anderson.

Authorities revoked Petrova’s visa and intended to return her to France, from whence she came, though anti-Trump activists online have since claimed that the U.S. government was planning to deport her to Russia to be persecuted by Putin’s regime.

Petrova and her allies claim she cannot return to her mother country because she opposed the Ukraine war and called for Putin to be impeached. But, per the Harvard Crimson, if Petrova is indeed deported, it would be to France.

“She currently holds a Schengen visa, which allows her to stay in countries in the European Union’s Schengen area for up to 90 days within a 180-day period,” they reported.

Petrova’s assertion of being unsafe in Russia triggered an asylum claim, leading to her detention before trial on May 7. This has been labeled a stint in the “gulag,” by Trump immigration critics.

But Petrova’s apprehension is linked to the discovery of undeclared frog embryo samples in her luggage, which her friend, Andrei Shevtsov, told the Russian news outlet Agentstvo about. Another colleague suggested a possible error on Petrova’s customs declaration form.

Petrova’s boss at the Harvard Medical School, Leon Peshkin, said she had protested the invasion of Ukraine and called for Vladimir Putin’s impeachment before fleeing Russia. Peskhkin also appeared to take responsibility for her detention per The Guardian:

Peshkin said that Petrova was a highly skilled researcher – “she is spectacular, the best I’ve ever seen in 20 years at Harvard,” – and had a visa that enabled her to work in the US and travel abroad freely. In February, however, when she was in Paris on vacation, her boss “made a huge mistake”. He asked her to pick up a box of frog embryo samples from colleagues in France and bring them back to the lab at Harvard.

The National Pulse has exclusively learned from sources close to the case that Petrova reportedly lied to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, saying she had nothing to declare. A K9 inspection revealed loose vials and Petri dishes containing unknown substances. Petrova later admitted to having embryonic frog cells in her possession, none of which had any permits.

Furthermore, The National Pulse understands that a search of Petrova’s phone revealed messages that told how she planned to try to get past customs without declaring anything, knowingly evading the law.

The National Pulse contacted Harvard Medical School for comment but received no response by the time of publication.

Petrova was a bioinformatician at the Moscow Center for Genetics from 2016–2023, before working for Quantori, a U.S.-based company in Georgia (2021–2022), and the Institute of Gene Biology in Moscow (2023–2024), focusing on population genetics. Currently, she is a research assistant at Harvard Medical School, conducting embryology-related research in a lab.

Initially taken to Vermont, Petrova was subsequently transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana, where she shares a space with around 80 other female detainees. Anderson conveyed via social media that Petrova remains in custody.

show less

IN BRIEF.

show more
March 27, 2025
Crime
Immigration

Cops Nab Illegal Alien Accused of Molesting 4 Kids.

IN BRIEF:

❓What Happened: An illegal immigrant was taken into custody in Georgia, accused of molesting four children under the age of 14.

👥 Who’s Involved: The detained individual is Nery Antonio Gonzalez, 36, who was arrested by the Valdosta Police Department.

📍 Where & When: The arrest occurred on March 14 in Valdosta, Georgia.

💬 Key Quote: Chief Leslie Manahan stated, “There are no words to describe the heartbreak of the trauma that these children faced and will live with for the rest of their lives.”

⚠️ Impact: Gonzalez faces numerous felony charges, and authorities anticipate additional charges pending further investigation.

IN FULL:

Authorities in Valdosta, Georgia, have apprehended an illegal immigrant accused of molesting young children. Nery Antonio Gonzalez, 36, is believed to have assaulted four minors at various locations throughout the city. Gonzalez is originally from Guatemala.

The Valdosta Police Department detained Gonzalez on March 14 after investigations uncovered his alleged involvement in a series of sexual crimes. Initially, Gonzalez was under investigation for allegedly molesting two children. However, interviews conducted with the minors led detectives to uncover two additional victims.

Gonzalez faces multiple serious charges including five counts of felony child molestation, three counts of felony rape, and numerous other counts related to sexual battery and cruelty to children. Despite the extensive charges already pressed against him, authorities indicate that additional charges might follow as the investigation proceeds.

In response to Gonzalez’s arrest, Valdosta Police Chief Leslie Manahan emphasized the enduring impact on the victims. “There are no words to describe the heartbreak of the trauma that these children faced and will live with for the rest of their lives,” she remarked. Additionally, she acknowledged the courage of two of the victims who spoke out, leading to Gonzalez’s arrest. Manahan highlighted the collaboration between their agency and community partners that ensured the perpetrator’s apprehension.

The case has drawn significant attention as it involves an individual who entered the U.S. illegally, further spotlighting issues surrounding illegal immigrant crime. The Valdosta Police Department continues its investigation, and Gonzalez remains in custody pending further legal proceedings.

Image from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office. 

show less

IN BRIEF:

show more
March 27, 2025
Immigration
News

Trump White House Jumps on Studio Ghibli Trend to Mock Drug Trafficker.

IN BRIEF:

❓What Happened: The White House shared a satirical image as political commentary, featuring a mock arrest poster in an anime art style.

👥 Who’s Involved: Virginia Basora-Gonzalez, an illegal immigrant accused of fentanyl trafficking; the White House.

📍 Where & When: Washington, D.C.; Thursday.

💬 Key Quote: “The apprehension of Virginia Basora-Gonzalez demonstrates our commitment to protecting our communities from criminal aliens who engage in serious illegal activities that pose a threat to public safety.” — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the time of Basora-Gonzalez’s arrest.

⚠️ Impact: The use of pop culture art styles in political commentary by the White House is attracting significant public attention.

IN FULL:

The White House took to social media on Thursday to release a mock arrest poster resembling the art style of the prominent Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. The post capitalized on a trend on social media of using artificial intelligence to change famous images in the studio’s distinctive style.

The illustration portrays Virginia Basora-Gonzalez, a previously deported individual with a history of fentanyl trafficking convictions. The image coincides with the White House’s prior arrest announcement of Basora-Gonzalez last week. At the time of her arrest, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated: “The apprehension of Virginia Basora-Gonzalez demonstrates our commitment to protecting our communities from criminal aliens who engage in serious illegal activities that pose a threat to public safety.”


Studio Ghibli, renowned for its celebrated films such as “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Princess Mononoke,” and “Spirited Away,” has an easily recognizable anime art style. This is not the administration’s first foray into employing cultural references in its content. Earlier this month, a video generated by the official White House account showed the deportation of gang members, set to the tune of the popular 1990s song “Closing Time” by Semisonic.

Using internet memes has been a mainstay in President Donald J. Trump’s political history and has also featured in his past political campaigns. In the last decade, both pro-Trump and anti-Trump memes have been shared millions of times on social media platforms.

In 2017, during Trump’s first term, political commentator Jack Posobiec described the 2016 Trump campaign’s online operations as the “Great Meme War.”

show less

IN BRIEF:

show more
March 27, 2025
Crime
Immigration

DC’s Sanctuary City Status is Now Hanging by a Thread.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved a bill on Wednesday to dismantle sanctuary city laws in Washington, D.C. The proposed legislation—called the District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act (H.R.2056)—would prevent the D.C. city government from maintaining policies that limit interactions with federal immigration authorities.

“As our nation’s capital, Washington D.C. should be the safest, most ‘America First’ city in the United States, and Congress has the Constitutional authority to end the city’s sanctuary status. My bill is a small step towards returning Washington DC to We, the People,” Representative Clay Higgins (R-LA)—the bill’s sponsor—said.

If enacted, this bill would bar D.C. officials from restricting the exchange of information regarding individuals’ citizenship or immigration status with federal, state, and local governments. It also mandates cooperation with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requests to detain incarcerated immigrants.

State and local sanctuary laws have been a hindrance to federal immigration authorities, with Massachusetts being an especially infamous example. Often, violent illegal immigrants arrested and charged by local law enforcement are released on bail by far-left judges before federal agents U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can execute detainer orders and take custody of the individual. This leaves ICE agents having to subsequently spend time and resources tracking down the released illegal immigrant criminal and undertaking an operation aimed at their capture.

show less
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved a bill on Wednesday to dismantle sanctuary city laws in Washington, D.C. The proposed legislation—called the District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act (H.R.2056)—would prevent the D.C. city government from maintaining policies that limit interactions with federal immigration authorities. show more
March 27, 2025
Crime
Immigration

Trump Announces Capture of ‘Major’ MS-13 Leader.

Federal authorities have apprehended a 24-year-old individual, identified as a prominent member of the MS-13 gang, during an operation in Woodbridge, Virginia. The FBI announced the arrest on Thursday, though the suspect’s name remains undisclosed.

The arrest was described by Attorney General Pam Bondi as a successful and secure operation. She stated, “They executed a clean, safe operation and the bad guy is in custody.” She further emphasized the significance of the arrest, noting, “We got one of the worst of the worst of the MS-13 off the streets this morning.” Bondi expressed that both Virginia and the nation are now safer as a result.

President Donald Trump acknowledged the operation on his platform, TRUTH Social, complimenting those involved. “Great job by Pam Bondi, @FBIDirectorKash, Tom HOMAN, and Kristi N, on the capture of MS13 leader – A big deal!” he wrote.

The operation demonstrates ongoing efforts by federal authorities to combat gang activities and secure community safety. MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, is considered one of the most dangerous and notorious criminal organizations, known for its involvement in various violent crimes across the United States. This arrest marks a significant step in addressing the threat posed by the gang.

No further details have been released about the suspect or the circumstances surrounding the arrest.

show less
Federal authorities have apprehended a 24-year-old individual, identified as a prominent member of the MS-13 gang, during an operation in Woodbridge, Virginia. The FBI announced the arrest on Thursday, though the suspect's name remains undisclosed. show more
March 27, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
Crime
Immigration
UK

Judge Spares Pedo Pakistani From Deportation Because He’s an Alcoholic.

A judge has stopped the deportation of a Pakistani migrant from Britain, despite a conviction for sexually assaulting an underage girl, because he is an alcoholic. The migrant had attacked the young girl after his release from prison, where he had served time for other sexual crimes.

While serving just a year in prison for the sex attack, the migrant appealed a deportation order, arguing that he would experience inhumane treatment if sent back to Pakistan, where alcohol is largely illegal. He claimed that his alcoholism would disadvantage him and that he would not be able to seek treatment for it in the Muslim-majority country.

The judge agreed with the migrant’s arguments, which also cited Pakistan’s prison conditions, noting that it would breach his supposed rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), enforced by the supranational European Court of Human Rights, which Britain did not leave after Brexit.

The migrant also argued that he has a child in Britain—which could have seen him avoid deportation per his “right to a family life”—but the court noted he and the child had not communicated since 2020.

The case is just the latest example of dangerous foreign criminals being allowed to remain in the United Kingdom due to the country’s adherence to the ECHR. Reform Party leader Nigel Farage has called for Britain to leave the ECHR to deport criminal migrants. In his first speech in the House of Commons last July, he called for a referendum on the subject.

Image by Metro Centric.

show less
A judge has stopped the deportation of a Pakistani migrant from Britain, despite a conviction for sexually assaulting an underage girl, because he is an alcoholic. The migrant had attacked the young girl after his release from prison, where he had served time for other sexual crimes. show more