Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been deported from the United States and jailed in Mexico about one month after he was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles’ Studio City area.
Arrest documents from Mexico’s National Detention Registry show Chávez Jr. was taken into custody Monday. He was transferred from a border checkpoint to police custody and jailed in Sonora, Mexico.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was asked about the deportation proceeding during her morning press conference on Tuesday.
“I understand he was deported. I don’t know if it was yesterday or this morning, but we’re informed that he was going to arrive in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said.
The president also said, “There was an arrest warrant [against Chávez Jr.]. This was communicated several weeks ago. When he was arrested there [in Los Angeles], there was an arrest warrant in Mexico from the Attorney General’s Office.”
Chávez Jr. was arrested in July outside his home by federal agents in Los Angeles’ Studio City area in connection with an active warrant in Mexico, the Department of Homeland Security said. The 39-year-old former WBC middleweight world champion was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents just days after he was defeated by influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in 10-round cruiserweight fight at Honda Center in Anaheim.
The arrest stemmed from allegations of links to the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel, according to the DHS.
After Chávez Jr.’s arrest, Sheinbaum confirmed the country has had a warrant for his arrest since 2023 that was part of an investigation that began in 2019. Sheinbaum said Mexico hadn’t previously arrested the boxer on a 2023 arrest order because he had been mostly been in the United States since.
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.
The arrest came after weeks of federal immigration enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area after President Donald 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.”
Chavez Jr. has faced legal troubles in the United States, including a January 2024 arrest of illegal possession of an assault rifle. He spoke with NBCLA after the arrest and said he was “ready to move forward.”
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 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 in July 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.”
Family members released a statement at the time of the arrest in July.
“Our family is profoundly concerned with the situation. During these difficult times, we reiterate our complete and unconditional support for Julio. We trust fully in his innocence and his character as we do the justice system in Mexico and in the U.S., hopeful the situation will clear up, adhering to his rights and the truth,” wrote the Chavez family in the statement.
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.
Through Aug. 1, nearly 56,600 migrants had been taken into ICE detention since the start of President Trump’s second term, according NBC News, which used ICE data both public and internal as well as data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. About 29% of those in detention had criminal convictions; 24.7% had pending criminal charges; 46.8% were listed as “other immigration violator;” and 11.9% were fast-tracked for deportation.
