A twice-deported illegal alien with a rap sheet spanning drug trafficking, fraud, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor flew a drone in restricted airspace over a major international event in Atlanta—and the federal government has no idea when he got back into the country.
Lorenzo Rojas-Martinez, 37, a Mexican citizen, was operating an unmanned drone and recording video near Centennial Olympic Park during the 2026 FIFA Fan Festival on June 12. FBI agents approached him in a nearby parking area, asked for identification, and discovered he was in the United States illegally. He was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement the next day and charged with operating a drone in a temporary flight restricted zone and illegal reentry by a removed alien.
The incident lays bare the complete failure of border enforcement and national security coordination. Rojas-Martinez first entered the U.S. illegally through Texas in 1999 and was deported in 2013. He was deported a second time in 2019 after re-entering the country. Authorities admit they do not know when he made his third illegal crossing back into the country.
The man’s criminal record reads like an indictment of the system itself: prior convictions for drug trafficking, stolen property, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, two counts of fraud, and an arrest for driving under the influence. Yet he was free to wander into a restricted zone over a packed international gathering.
Acting Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis stated, "This criminal illegal alien dangerously flew a drone in restricted airspace near a FIFA event in Atlanta, Georgia. The Trump Administration will not allow illegal aliens to threaten the safety and security of the American people." Fox News and the New York Post both highlighted the severity of the criminal history and the border enforcement failure; NewsBreak ran the story but buried the border angle beneath unrelated headlines about Supreme Court gun rulings and Walmart price tags on its page.
The Federal Aviation Administration had established "No Drone Zones" over stadiums hosting FIFA World Cup 2026 matches and related fan events. During match days, all aircraft operations, including drones, are prohibited within a 3-nautical-mile radius and up to 3,000 feet above ground level unless authorized by air traffic control. The FBI is cleared to use "specialized mitigation tools" to intercept and seize unauthorized drones, and civil penalties can reach $75,000 per violation, with criminal fines up to $100,000.
A twice-deported alien with a history of trafficking and fraud should not be standing in an Atlanta parking lot recording a global event with an unauthorized drone. The fact that he was, and that the government cannot say when he returned, tells ordinary Americans everything they need to know about who is actually securing the border—and who is being left exposed.
