Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been arrested by ICE agents, just five days after his boxing fight against Jake Paul.
The 39-year-old was taken into custody in the Los Angeles area and is currently being processed over alleged connections to the Sinaloa Cartel.
On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed they are ‘processing him for expedited removal from the United States’ due to an outstanding warrant in Mexico.
They state that Chavez Jr’s warrant relates to ‘his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives’.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated: ‘An affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, who has an active arrest warrant for trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives, was apprehended by ICE.
‘It is alarming that the past administration identified this criminal illegal alien as a public safety threat, yet chose not to prioritize his removal, allowing him to leave and return to our country.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has reportedly been arrested by ICE agents over a warrant in Mexico
The arrest comes just five days after the 39-year-old’s fight against Jake Paul
‘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 report makes note that, in August 2023, Chavez Jr. legally entered the US via a B2 tourist visa that was valid until February 2024.
In April 2024, Chavez filed an application for a Lawful Permanent Resident status based upon his marriage to a US citizen, who was connected to infamous cartel leader Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman.
In December, immigration services flagged that Chavez was an ‘egregious public safety threat’.
One month later, in January this year, the previous administration led by Joe Biden allowed Chavez to re-enter the country and paroled him into the US.
Multiple ‘fraudulent statements’ on his Lawful Permanent Resident application meant that Chavez was legally able to removed from the country on June 27th – two days prior to his fight against Paul.
Chavez’s father – who was also a boxing star – has openly spoken about his own relationships with the Sinaloa Cartel and, in particular, ‘El Chapo’.
Chavez Jr. is the son and namesake of one of boxing’s greatest ever fighters and a former world middleweight champion.
He has fought more than 60 times as a professional but the 39-year-old barely laid a glove on Paul during their fight.
Chavez put in an underwhelming performance as he lost on decision to Paul on Saturday night
Reports claim that Chavez Jr. will ‘be returned’ to Mexico once he is processed in LA
Paul, who was fighting for the first time since his controversial clash with Mike Tyson won by scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 98-92.
Chavez Jr. failed to land a single punch in the first round before showing flashes of life in the closing stages. But he was still powerless to prevent Paul from improving his professional record to 12-1 on Saturday night.
After victory was secured, Paul turned on the pro-Mexican crowd and turned his attention to tougher tests.
‘Y’all can shut the f*** up,’ he said. ‘I just beat your boys’ a**!’
Paul continued: ‘I was flawless… I thought I did great, going 10 rounds against a former world champion… I embarrassed him.’
Chavez Jr. captured the WBC middleweight title and improved to 46-0-1 with a TKO win over Ireland’s Andy Lee back in 2012.
And while that proved to be the peak of his career, Chavez has since fought and lost to highly rated pros like Sergio Martinez, Andrzej Fonfara, Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs.
However, prior to his bout with Paul, he’d fought only once in the last four years, beating converted kickboxer Uriah Hall by unanimous decision last July.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is congratulated by his legendary father after Chavez Jr. defeated Ruban Galvan in the Junior Welterweight fight on June 25, 2005 in Atlantic City
Prior to that, he dropped a 2021 split decision to UFC legend Anderson Silva, who actually lost a boxing match to Paul the following year.
Amid Donald Trump’s latest crackdown on anti-immigration in the US, ICE agents have been spotted a number of different sporting venues.
Last month, the Los Angeles Dodgers claimed on social media that they declined a request from ICE agents to access the parking lots of their stadium.
A number of ICE agents were spotted descending on Dodger Stadium just after 10am local time, before reports emerged claiming they were denied entry to the grounds of the ballpark.
And in a statement posted on X later in the day, the MLB franchise confirmed the immigration officials unsuccessfully attempted to access their parking lots.
‘This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots,’ the statement reads. ‘They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization.’
Furthermore, prior to the start of the Club World Cup, ICE raids sparked protests that brought Los Angeles to its knees after Trump ordered 700 Marines and another 2,000 National Guard troops to be sent to the area.
