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PULSE POINTS
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been arrested and is facing “expedited removal” from the U.S. over allegations of cartel involvement in his home country.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., son of legendary three-weight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Sinaloa Cartel.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Chavez Jr. was arrested on Wednesday, July 2, as announced by DHS on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Under President Trump, no one is above the law—including world-famous athletes,” said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
🎯IMPACT: Chavez Jr. faces deportation proceedings from the United States.
IN FULL
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., a well-known Mexican boxer and son of the legendary three-weight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., has been arrested by U.S. immigration authorities over alleged ties to Mexican organized crime. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Thursday that Chavez Jr. is being processed for “expedited removal” from the United States.
“Under President Trump, no one is above the law—including world-famous athletes,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said. According to DHS, Chavez Jr. has “an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.”
The arrest was carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday. Federal officials state that Chavez Jr., originally from Mexico’s Sinaloa region, is allegedly linked to the infamous Sinaloa Cartel. In February this year, the Sinaloa Cartel was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by President Donald J. Trump.
Notably, the boxer legally entered the United States in 2023 on a B2 tourist visa, which expired in February of last year. Subsequently, on April 2, 2024, Chavez Jr. filed for Lawful Permanent Resident status, citing his marriage to a U.S. citizen. “Chavez’s application was 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,” DHS revealed.
“On December 17, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chavez is an egregious public safety threat,” the department noted, adding: “However, an entry in a DHS law enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated Chavez was not an immigration enforcement priority.” According to the arrest announcement, Chavez Jr. re-entered the United States on January 4, 2025, and was paroled by the Biden government. The Trump administration determined on January 27, 2025, that the boxer had made “multiple fraudulent statements on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident,” making his continued U.S. residency unlawful.
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