Former boxing middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr. was detained in Studio City, Calif. on Wednesday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and is being processed for an expedited removal from the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement on Thursday.
Chávez Jr., a Mexican citizen, has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives, according to DHS.
On June 28, Chávez Jr., 39, lost a lopsided decision to Jake Paul at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Chávez Jr., the son of Mexican legend Julio César Chávez, trained in the U.S. for the fight, he told Sports Illustrated last week. U.S. officials state that Chávez Jr. entered the country in August 2023 on a B2 tourist visa that was valid until February 2024.
DHS says Chávez Jr. is believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, which has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. In April 2024, Chávez Jr. applied for Lawful Permanent Resident Status. His application was based on his marriage to his wife, Frida, a U.S. citizen who had a prior relationship with the son of notorious cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Michael Goldstein, an attorney representing Chávez Jr., told Sports Illustrated the allegations against Chávez Jr. are “outrageous” and “a brazen act designed to terrorize the community.” According to Goldstein, 25 or more ICE and other law enforcement agents took Chávez Jr. into custody, leaving his family without any information as to his whereabouts.
“Mr. Chávez is not a threat to the community,” Goldstein told SI. “In fact, he is a public figure and has been living out in the open and just fought Jake Paul in a televised boxing match before millions of viewers. His workouts were open to the public and afforded law enforcement countless opportunities to contact him if he was indeed a public threat. The truth is, he has been focused on his own personal growth, family and mental health.”
Last December, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chávez Jr. is an “egregious public safety threat.” According to DHS, Chávez Jr. was deemed not an immigration enforcement priority. On Jan. 4, Chávez Jr. was allowed to reenter the country and paroled into the country at the San Ysidro port of entry.
On June 27, one day before his scheduled fight against Paul, Chávez Jr. was determined to be in the country illegally and removable, citing multiple fraudulent statements on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident.
“This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate with an active arrest warrant for trafficking guns, ammunition, and explosives was arrested by ICE. 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,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Under President [Donald] 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.”
In a statement, DHS cited multiple offenses. Most recently, in 2024, Chávez Jr. was arrested and charged with Illegal Possession of Any Assault Weapon and Manufacture or Import Short Barreled Rifle. The court convicted Chávez Jr. of these charges, per DHS.
Goldstein disputes the government’s characterization of the weapons charge, telling SI that DHS’s claim that Chávez Jr. was convicted was false. Chávez Jr., Goldstein said, “was granted mental health diversion, is in full compliance and the charges will soon be dismissed.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Julio César Chávez Jr. Detained by ICE Officials Days After Jake Paul Fight.
