The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Thursday that it has arrested and is set to deport renowned Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. over alleged ties with the Sinaloa Cartel.
The agency detailed in a statement that Chavez, a former boxing world champion, has an "active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives." It added that the boxer was arrested in Studio City, California, on July 2.
The document adds that Chavez filed an application for Lawful Permanent Resident status in April last year based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen who, nonetheless, DHS said is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel "through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman."
In December, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE claiming that Chavez Jr. was an "egregious public safety threat." However, the agency said that under previous leadership during the Biden administration, authorities said he was not an "immigration enforcement priority." It added that Chavez Jr. was allowed to reenter the country on January 4 and was granted parole at the San Ysidro port of entry.
"Following multiple fraudulent statements on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident, he was determined to be in the country illegally and removable on June 27, 2025," the document adds.
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin slammed the Biden administration, saying it is "shocking" it "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."
"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," the official added.
The arrest comes just days after Chavez Jr. fought and lost against Youtuber Jake Paul in a highly-publicized fight in California.
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