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Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) just four days after fighting Jake Paul at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the arrest on Thursday, saying Chavez was being processed for “expedited removal from the United States.”
The announcement also stated that Chavez has an arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement with the Sinaloa Cartel.
“On July 2, ICE arrested Mexican boxer and criminal illegal alien Julio César Chávez Jr.,” the announcement read on X.
“He is now being processed for expedited removal from the United States. This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunitions and explosives.
“Under President Trump, NO ONE is above the law – including world-famous athletes. Our message to any cartel affiliates in the U.S. is clear: We will find you and you will face consequences. The days of unchecked cartel violence are over.”
DHS added that Chavez entered the U.S. legally on a B2 tourist visa in August 2023, and it was valid through February 2024.
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In April 2024, he filed an application for Lawful Permanent Resident status. However, his application was based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel “through a prior relationship with now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman,” DHS wrote in the announcement.
In December 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chavez was considered “an egregious public safety threat.”
“However, an entry in a DHS law enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated Chavez was not an immigration enforcement priority,” DHS wrote.
DHS said Chavez reentered the country in January through the San Ysidro port of entry. But, after “multiple fraudulent statements on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident,” Chavez was deemed to be in the country illegally.
“It is shocking the previous administration flagged this criminal illegal alien as a public safety threat, but chose to not prioritize his removal and let him leave and COME BACK into our country,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Under President Trump, no one is above the law—including world-famous athletes. Our message to any cartel affiliates in the U.S. is clear: We will find you and you will face consequences. The days of unchecked cartel violence are over.”
Chavez’s fight against Paul ended in defeat, with judges giving the Youtuber-turned-boxer a unanimous victory after 10 rounds.
Chavez was a former WBC middleweight champion and the son of the boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez, who held five different world titles in four different weight classes. Paul’s win on Saturday resulted in him getting ranked for the first time, coming in at No. 14 in the WBA cruiserweight rankings.
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