Former boxing champion Julio César Chávez Jr. faces deportation following ICE arrest for immigration violations, weapons charges and suspected cartel links.
Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. was arrested by ICE on Thursday for deportation. The arrest came just days after Chávez’s loss to YouTuber Jake Paul in Anaheim, California, on the last weekend of June.
Chávez was arrested for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application. He was being processed for expedited removal, according to U.S. authorities.
News of the arrest set the fighting community into a frenzy, with Chávez Jr. suddenly emerging as a prominent figure in the nation’s ongoing deportation saga.Chávez Jr. has an extensive criminal history and suspected alleged ties to a drug cartel, per DHS
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Chávez Jr. has been charged with several crimes while in the U.S.
On Jan. 22, 2012, California Highwaay Patrol arrested Chávez and charged him with DUI alcohol/drugs and driving without a license. On June 23, 2012, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, convicted Chávez of the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol and sentenced him to 13 days in jail and 36 months’ probation.
On Jan. 14, 2023, a District Judge issued an arrest warrant for Chávez, for the offense of organized crime for the purpose of committing crimes of weapons trafficking and manufacturing crimes, in the modality of those who participate in clandestinely bringing weapons, ammunition, cartridges, explosives into the country; and those who manufacture weapons, ammunition, cartridges, and explosives without the corresponding permit.
On Jan. 7, 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Chavez and charged him with Illegal Possession of an assault weapon and manufacture or import short-barreled rifle. The court convicted Chavez of these charges.’
DHS also suspects Chavez is allegedly believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Chavez’s application was based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, according to DHS.
