Authorities in the United States arrested famed Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on immigration charges and further claim he has ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. The Biden administration paroled the boxer into the U.S. after his tourist visa expired.
Chavez had just fought in a controversial fight last weekend in California against YouTuber Jake Paul. Mexican authorities have since revealed that he is also wanted in Mexico on weapons charges.
On Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security revealed the arrest of Chavez Jr. in Studio City, California, by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In their statement, DHS indicated that Chavez, a Mexican national, has a criminal rap sheet in the U.S., including weapons charges.
Last weekend, Chavez took part in a Pay-Per-View event where he fought YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a controversial fight that has been marred by allegations of rigging.
DHS revealed that Chavez initially entered the country on a B2 tourist visa, which expired in February 2024. He applied for permanent residency in April 2024 through his wife, who is a U.S. citizen. Federal officials revealed that his wife was previously married to a late son of jailed Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
At the time, U.S. officials had denied the request, but Chavez was paroled into the country at the San Ysidro port of entry during the administration of President Joe Biden. Late last week, U.S. authorities determined that Chavez had lied in his residency application and was determined to be in the country illegally.
Soon after the announcement by DHS, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office revealed that Chavez Jr. has a pending arrest warrant in Mexico for organized crime and gun trafficking since 2023.
DHS revealed that the boxer’s criminal rap sheet included:
- On January 22, 2012, California Highway Patrol arrested Chavez and charged him with DUI alcohol/drugs and Driving Without a License. On June 23, 2012, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, convicted Chavez for the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol and sentenced him to 13 days in jail and 36 months’ probation.
- On January 14, 2023, a District Judge issued an arrest warrant for Chavez, for the offense of organized crime for the purpose of committing crimes of weapons trafficking and manufacturing crimes, in the modality of those who participate in clandestinely bringing weapons, ammunition, cartridges, explosives into the country; and those who manufacture weapons, ammunition, cartridges, and explosives without the corresponding permit.
- On January 7, 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Chavez and charged him with Illegal Possession of Any Assault Weapon and Manufacture or Import Short Barreled Rifle. The court convicted Chavez of these charges.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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