Boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. arrested, faces deportation over alleged cartel ties

Professional boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who just days ago lost to Jake Paul in a pay-per-view bout in Anaheim, has been arrested in Studio City and will be deported to his native Mexico, where the alleged Sinaloa Cartel associate has an outstanding arrest warrant, federal immigration officials said today.

Federal authorities allege that Chavez tried to get permanent status based on his marriage to a woman associated with the now-dead son of imprisoned Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel detained Chavez on Wednesday, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which blamed the boxer’s presence in the country on the Biden Administration.

In a news release, DHS referred to Chavez as a “prominent Mexican boxer and criminal illegal alien,” and said the son of a similarly named boxing legend is being processed “for expedited removal from the United States.”

“Chavez is a Mexican citizen who has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition and explosives,” according to a DHS statement.

According to the government, Chavez entered the U.S. legally in August of 2023, having obtained a B2 tourist visa that expired in February 2024.

“Chavez is also believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization,” according to the government statement, which said Chavez applied for Lawful Permanent Residence status on April 12, 2024, based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen “who 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 of last year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services labeled Chavez “an egregious public safety threat” and referred the case to ICE.

“However, an entry in a DHS law enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated Chavez was not an immigration enforcement priority,” according to the DHS statement. “On January 4, 2025, the Biden administration allowed Chavez to reenter the country and paroled him into the country at the San Ysidro port of entry.”

The government alleges that Chavez made “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,” according to DHS statement.

Chavez fought Jake Paul on June 28, 2025, losing a unanimous decision, at Honda Center in Anaheim.