Five days after dropping a unanimous decision to Jake Paul in Anaheim, former middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and slated for expedited removal. In a blistering statement, the Department of Homeland Security labelled Chávez, whose tourist visa expired in February 2024, a “criminal illegal alien” wanted in Mexico for organized-crime activities involving firearms and explosives.
DHS further alleges the 38-year-old Mexican is tied to the Sinaloa Cartel, citing an active 2023 arrest warrant south of the border and a U.S. conviction earlier this year for possessing an assault weapon and assembling a short-barrel rifle. Chávez’s 2024 bid for U.S. permanent residency—filed through marriage to an American citizen linked to the cartel via a prior relationship—was flagged as fraudulent, yet the fighter was paroled back into the country last January under the previous administration.
Watch the 12th round between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio Martinez: Watch
ICE agents detained Chávez on Wednesday in Studio City, California. Advisor Sean Gibbons dismissed cartel claims as “%$## no,” framing the matter as a visa issue, but DHS officials invoked President Trump’s tougher immigration stance, vowing “no one is above the law - even world-famous athletes.” The agency highlighted the new “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility planned for Florida as part of its crackdown on cartel affiliates.
A decade ago Chavez served 13 days for DUI; now he faces deportation to stand trial in Mexico.
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