Boxer Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. has been jailed in Mexico after being deported from the United States by ICE. Deadline reports that Chávez was handed over to authorities and subsequently incarcerated in prison in the northern state of Sonora. The boxer had a warrant out for his arrest in Mexico due to alleged arms and drug trafficking, plus alleged ties to the Sinaloa Cartel.
Chávez was deported from the United States on Aug. 18.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that it had arrested Chávez in July and was in the process of an “expedited removal” so the boxer could be taken to Mexico.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Chávez came to the United States legally in the summer of 2023 with a B2 tourist visa.
That visa expired in February of 2024, and he is said to have filed for an application for lawful permanent resident status based on his marriage to U.S. citizen Frida Chávez. DHS claimed the boxer’s wife was connected to the Sinaloa cartel because she had a prior relationship with the late son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
“On December 17, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chavez is an egregious public safety threat,” reads a statement from the DHS. “However, an entry in a DHS law enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated Chavez was not an immigration enforcement priority.”
Chávez was allowed to re-enter into the United States in January, just weeks before Donald Trump became President again.
In the aforementioned press release, Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, spoke about Chávez’s alleged ties the Sinoloa Cartel as justification for his deportation.
“This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate with an active arrest warrant for trafficking guns, ammunition, and explosives was arrested by ICE,” said McLaughlin. “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. 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.”
Days before his ICE detainment, Chávez lost a boxing match to Jake Paul.