Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. arrested by ICE, facing deportation: Mexican boxer accused of cartel involvement

Chavez, 39, fought Jake Paul just a few days ago

The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been arrested by ICE and is facing deportation on charges of being in the U.S. illegally as a fugitive from justice in Mexico, where officials say he has an active arrest warrant for his involvement in organized crime as an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel. Among the criminal activities Chavez is accused of participating in includes the trafficking of firearms, ammunition and explosives.

According to law enforcement, Chavez, 39, entered the U.S. legally in August 2023 via a B2 tourist visa, which had expired in February 2024, and applied for Lawful Permanent Resident status in April 2024 on the grounds of his marriage to a U.S. citizen. Officials say that Chavez's spouse had been connected to the Sinaloa Cartel -- designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. government -- through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of cartel leader Joaquin Guzman.

In December 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had made a referral to Immigration and Customs Enforcement that Chavez was an "egregious public safety threat," but Chavez was allowed to reenter the country on Jan. 4, 2025 after records indicated the Biden Administration had not made him an immigration enforcement priority. Following multiple fraudulent statements on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident, law enforcement determined Chavez to be in the U.S. illegally and removable on June 27.