ICE arrests Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr., alleges cartel links
Immigration agents in the United States have owned the first Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. and work to expel him, with officials saying that he had an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and firearm, ammunition and explosive traffic “.
Officials of immigration and customs application arrested Chávez, 39, at Studio City on Wednesday and treat it for an accelerated return from the United States, according to the Ministry of Internal Security, which supervises ice.
A press release from internal security said that Chávez had been reported as a threat of public security, but “the Biden administration said in internal files that it was not a priority for applying immigration”.
Last year, in January, officials said the Los Angeles police service arrested Chávez and was accused of illegal possession of an assault and manufacturing or import weapon of a short barrel rifle. He was then found guilty of the accusations.
Chávez director Sean Gibbons told Times that they are currently working on a few numbers “after the boxer’s arrest but had no comments.
Michael A. Goldstein, a lawyer who worked with Chávez in previous cases, said his client “had been detained outside his residence by 25 or more ice agents and other law enforcement agents”.
“They blocked his street and placed him in police custody by leaving his family without any knowledge of his place,” said Goldstein. “The current allegations are scandalous and seem to be conceived as a title to terrorize the community. Mr. Chavez is not a threat to the community. ”
The son of the legend of Mexican boxing Julio César Chávez, widely considered the greatest boxer in the history of his country, Chávez Jr. faced the influencer who became a fighter Jake Paul on Saturday and lost.
Two weeks before the Anaheim fight against Paul, Chávez held public training in Maywood, where he spoke to Times. He revealed that one of his coaches had jumped the training session for fear of the application of immigration.
“I was even afraid of telling you the truth. It’s very ugly,” said Chávez. “I do not understand the situation – why so much violence? There are a lot of good people, and you give the community an example of violence. I am from Sinaloa, where things are really ugly, and to come here, in such a beautiful country with everything … and see Trump attacking immigrants, Latinos, without reason. Not being with God makes you think that you have made a bad decision.”
He added: “After all that happened, I would not want to be expelled.”
When US officials announced the arrest on Thursday, they described Chávez as a “subsidiary of the Sinaloa cartel”. The Trump administration has appointed the Mexican drug trafficking group as a “foreign terrorist organization”.
“Under President Trump, no one is above the law – including global renowned athletes,” DHS Assistant to Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
According to the internal security press release, Chávez legally entered the country in August 2023, with a B2 tourist visa which was valid until February 2024. He had applied for a legal resident status last year in April, officials said, according to his marriage to Frida Muñoz, an American citizen, who declared that we were linked to the Sinalo Cartel SINALOA CARTEL by the SINALOA CARTEL by the infamous sound of SINALOA CARTEL through the SINALOA CARTEL by SINALOA CARTEL through the SINALOA CARTEL by SINALOA CARTEL through the SINALOA CARTEL SINALOA by SINALOA CARTEL through the SINALALOA CARNE SINALOA. Guzman. “”
El Chapo, a fan known to Chávez Sr. during his fighting days, is now serving a perpetuity imprisonment in the American federal prison after a conviction for 2019 for his role as leadership in the Sinaloa cartel.
Muñoz was previously in a relationship with Edgar Guzmán Loera, the eldest son of El Chapo, who was killed in Sinaloa in 2008.
The couple had a daughter, Frida Sofía Guzmán Muñoz. After Edgar’s death, Muñoz was distant from the family and moved to the United States, starting by starting a relationship with Chávez. Their daughter, Frida Sofía, recently launched a musical career and frequently attended the fights of her stepfather, including the most recent fight in Anaheim.
Chávez faced criticism on alleged associations with figures related to drug trafficking. In long social media videos, he claimed friendship with Ovidio Guzmán, another son of El Chapo who, according to the judicial archives, agreed to plead guilty to federal accusations of drug trafficking in Chicago.
Last year, December 17, according to the internal security press release, the United States citizenship and immigration services referred to the ice that Chávez was “a blatant threat to public security”.
“However, an entry into a system of application of the DHS law under the Biden administration said that Chávez was not a priority for applying immigration,” the statement said.
According to the press release, Chávez was authorized to reintegrate the country on January 4 at the port of entrance to San Ysidro.
“Following several fraudulent declarations on his request to become a legal permanent resident, he was tried in the country illegally and removable on June 27,” the internal security statement said.
Chávez has been under boxing projectors since childhood, often walking towards the ring alongside his father. He began his professional career in 2003 and reached the height in 2011 when he won the WBC average weight title against Sebastian Zbik. He defended the belt three times before losing it against Sergio Martínez in 2012.
However, his career has been plagued by discipline problems, drug addiction and difficulty gaining weight. In 2017, he faced his Mexican compatriot Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, undergoing an unbalanced unanimous decision loss which marked a turning point in the decline of his career.
Nicknamed “El Hijo de la Leyenda” (“son of legend”) or simply “JR”, Chávez Jr. has had legal and personal problems in recent years. He was arrested for suspicion of possession of weapons and then entered a residential rehabilitation center. His battle against drug addiction has often taken place in the public’s eyes, including viral disputes on social networks with his father, one of his most vocal criticisms, but also his firmer.
According to Homeland Security, Chávez was sentenced in 2012 for driving under the influence of alcohol and was sentenced to 13 days in prison and 36 months of probation.
Goldstein, Chávez’s lawyer, noted that his client is a public figure who lived and worked in the United States without problem in recent weeks. Goldstein underlined his recent fight, saying, “His training was open to the public and offered police to contact him if he was indeed a public threat.”
“He focused on his personal growth and mental health,” said Goldstein. “He is in full compliance with his diversion in mental health and all the bonds of the Court. For this reason, we are fully expecting that his only waiting affair is rejected as the law requires. “
In 2023, according to Homeland Security, a Mexico judge issued an arrest warrant against Chávez “for the offense of organized crime in order to commit crimes of trafficking in arms and manufacturing crimes”.
The press release indicated that the mandate concerned “those participating in weapons, ammunition, cartridges, explosives in the country;
Mexican authorities, which do not generally reveal the full name of suspects in criminal affairs, said Thursday that federal prosecutors had issued an arrest warrant against Julio “C” in March 2023 for organized crime and arms trafficking. A press release from the equivalent of Mexico of the Prosecutor General’s office said that US officials had started the process of bringing legal action.
The head of the Mexico office, Patrick J. McDonnell, contributed to this report.
