The Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday that Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was detained by immigration authorities and is facing deportation due to charges of being a fugitive from Mexican justice. Chavez is accused of serious criminal activities, including trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.
Law enforcement stated that Chavez, 39, entered the United States legally in August 2023 with a B2 tourist visa that expired in February 2024. In April 2024, he applied for legal permanent residency based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen. However, officials revealed that Chavez’s spouse has ties to the Sinaloa cartel, a group labeled by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization because of her prior connection to the late son of cartel leader Joaquin Guzman.
In December 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services flagged Chavez as a “severe public safety threat” to immigration and customs enforcement officials. Despite this, he was allowed to re-enter the country on January 4, 2025, after the Biden administration deprioritized immigration enforcement. Authorities later ruled Chavez illegal and removable on June 27 due to multiple false statements made during his residency application process.
Chavez faces charges linked to organized crime, including involvement in human trafficking and illegal weapons manufacturing from January 2023, as well as illegal possession of assault weapons and short-barreled rifles in January 2024. He also has a prior arrest and conviction from 2012 for suspected DUI and driving without a license.
Deputy Chief Secretary Tricia McLaughlin emphasized, “Under President Trump, no one, including world-renowned athletes, is above the law. Our message to cartel affiliates in the U.S. is clear: we will find you, and you will face consequences.”
Chavez Jr., the son of former three-division world boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez and elder brother to Omar Chavez, held the WBC middleweight title from 2011 to 2012 with a record of 54 wins, 7 losses, and 1 draw. His arrest comes shortly after his recent fight, in which he lost to Jake Paul at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Hailing from Sinaloa—a hub for the infamous Sinaloa cartel, recognized as a terrorist entity by both the U.S. and Canadian governments—the cartel is accused of drug trafficking, torture, and murder of American citizens, especially related to fentanyl flowing across borders.
Fan Take: This arrest is a seismic event in the world of fighting sports, casting a shadow over one of boxing’s notable figures and highlighting the deadly intersections between crime and sport. For fans, it’s a stark reminder that the sport’s stars come with complex, sometimes troubling backstories, which could influence boxing’s integrity and public image going forward.
