Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. was arrested Wednesday by federal agents in Studio City in connection with an active warrant and being processed for removal from the United States, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday.
The 39-year-old former WBC middleweight world champion was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the San Fernando Valley community. DHS said the arrest just days after a bout in Anaheim stems from an active warrant in Mexico and allegations of links to the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel.
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained prominent Mexican boxer and criminal illegal alien Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and is processing him for expedited removal from the United States,” the agency said. “Chavez is a Mexican citizen who has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.”
Chávez Jr.’s attorney said he was taken into custody outside his Studio City residence by about two dozen law enforcement agents.
The arrest was just days after Chávez Jr. was defeated Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim by influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a 10-round cruiserweight fight.
Chavez Jr. claimed the middleweight title in June 2011 and defended the title three times. The son of a former multi-division boxing champion was born in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico and embarked on his professional boxing career as a teenager, making his debut in September 2002.
His arrest comes after weeks of federal immigration enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area after President Trump made the issue a central part of his campaign. Operations have been reported in residential areas, car washes, home improvement store parking lots and other locations.
The DHS said Chavez Jr. entered the country in August 2023 with a B2 tourist visa that was valid until 2024. He filed an application for Lawful Permanent Resident status last year based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, whom the department also accused of having connections to the Sinaloa Cartel “through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman.”
In December, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chavez Jr. is an “egregious public safety threat,” DHS said. In January, Chavez was allowed to re-enter the country at the San Ysidro Port of Entry near San Diego.
He is accused of multiple “fraudulent statements” on the application for lawful permanent residence, according to the DHS, which deemed him removable from the United States on June 27.
“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 DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “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.”
NBCLA spoke with Chávez Jr.’s attorney after the DHS announced the arrest.
“This appears to be nothing more than another headline to terrorize the Latin community,” attorney Michael A. Goldstein said, referring to recent immigration enforcement operations in Southern California. “On the case involving guns, a court granted mental health diversion, which Mr. Chávez was both eligible and suitable for under state statutes. He is in full compliance with his diversion, has completed all requirements asked of him, and we expect the case to be dismissed under the diversion statutes.
Goldstein was asked about the cartel allegations.
“This is the first we’ve ever heard of these outrageous allegations,” he said.
In January, the Trump administration designated drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations in an order that said the organizations “constitute a national-security threat beyond that posed by traditional organized crime.”
During the immigration enforcement raids in Southern California, the administration has highlighted arrests involving undocumented individuals with violent crime convictions. Those who have been caught up in the nationwide raids include asylum seekers, people who overstayed their visas and migrants awaiting their day in immigration court.
