KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Federal immigration officers arrested a previously deported illegal immigrant from Mexico who was caught flying a drone in restricted airspace near Arrowhead Stadium during World Cup festivities, ICE announced.
Jose Garrido-Benitez, 51, was operating the drone within 2.5 miles of the stadium on July 3. Federal agents seized the device the same day and notified ICE. Kansas City ICE officers arrested Garrido-Benitez on July 6 for being unlawfully present in the United States. He remains in ICE custody pending removal.
“I’m proud of our officers and federal partners for identifying this illegal airspace violation and working with us to remove criminal illegal aliens from our communities,” said Chris Chamberlain, ICE Kansas City acting assistant field officer director. “This is the result of like-minded agencies dedicated to public service working together to ensure our World Cup guests have the safest experience possible.”
Garrido-Benitez has a lengthy criminal history in the region. Kansas and Missouri law enforcement arrested him six times between 1999 and 2004. He was removed from the United States in 2003 and unlawfully re-entered the country — a federal felony under 8 U.S.C. § 1326. He was convicted in 2004 for felony forgery and sentenced to five years in a Missouri prison.
The arrest fits a broader enforcement pattern under the Trump administration. ICE said nearly 70% of its arrests involve illegal immigrants charged with or convicted of a crime in the United States, and that more than 3 million illegal immigrants have left the country since the administration took office.
Garrido-Benitez will receive full due process under federal law, ICE said. He faces removal proceedings while held in federal custody.