Mexican Boxing Star Julio César Chávez Jr Arrested by US Immigration, Faces Deportation

Famed Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr, 39, has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Studio City, Los Angeles, on Thursday. US officials have announced plans for his “expedited removal” to Mexico, where he reportedly faces an active arrest warrant for involvement in organized crime, including trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.

The high-profile arrest comes less than a week after Chávez Jr, a former middleweight world champion, was defeated by influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a boxing match held in California last Saturday. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the boxer is being processed for deportation as a “prominent Mexican boxer and criminal illegal alien.”

US officials allege Chávez Jr’s affiliation with the notorious Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel, an organization President Donald Trump designated as a terrorist entity in January. The DHS statement links his alleged connection to his application for US permanent residency last year, citing his marriage to a US citizen purportedly connected to the cartel through a prior relationship with the deceased son of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán.

Chávez Jr’s lawyer, Michael Goldstein, has vehemently denied the cartel allegations, stating, “This is the first we’ve ever heard of these outrageous allegations,” and described the arrest as “nothing more than another headline to terrorize the Latin community.” The boxer has a history of arrests in the US, including convictions for illegal possession of an assault weapon in January 2024 and a 2023 arrest warrant for alleged weapons trafficking for a criminal organization.

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