ICE and FBI Investigation Leads to Charges Against Illegal Alien Who Flew Drone in Restricted FIFA Airspace

This illegal alien had already been deported TWICE

WASHINGTON - The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), led to federal charges against an illegal alien who flew a drone in restricted FIFA airspace.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Lorenzo Rojas-Martinez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, operated a drone in restricted airspace near Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia on June 12, 2026, during the 2026 FIFA Fan Festival. FBI agents confronted him and requested his identification. Upon confirming he was in the United States illegally, the agents took him into custody. The next day, the FBI turned him over to ICE custody.

Lorenzo Rojas-Martinez

Rojas-Martinez was charged on June 15 with operating a drone in a temporary flight restricted zone and illegal re-entry. His criminal history includes prior convictions for drug trafficking, stolen property, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and TWO counts of fraud, and an arrest for driving under the influence of liquor.

"This criminal illegal alien dangerously flew a drone in restricted airspace near a FIFA event in Atlanta, Georgia," said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "His lengthy criminal history includes drug trafficking, stolen property, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and driving under the influence. The Trump Administration will not allow illegal aliens to threaten the safety and security of the American people."

Rojas-Martinez claimed to have first illegally entered the United States in Texas in 1999, and was deported in 2013. He then illegally re-entered the country - a felony - at an unknown date and location before being deported a second time in 2019. He then illegally entered the country for a THIRD time at an unknown date and location.

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