Mexican boxer arrested by ICE, faces deportation from US

Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been arrested by U.S. immigration officials and faces deportation from the United States, the Department of Homeland Security said.

Chavez, a former world champion and son of legendary Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez, was detained by immigration officers in Los Angeles on Wednesday after authorities determined he was in the U.S. illegally. The boxer had fought an unsuccessful fight with American YouTuber Jake in Anaheim, California, a few days earlier.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying the 39-year-old has an “active warrant for his arrest in Mexico for involvement in organized crime and trafficking in weapons, ammunition and explosives.”

Mexican prosecutors said the country had issued an arrest warrant for Chavez Jr. in 2023. U.S. authorities told Mexico they had begun deportation proceedings.

Michael A. Goldstein, the boxer's attorney, told the Los Angeles Times that Chavez Jr. "was detained outside his residence by 25 or more immigration agents and other law enforcement."

The Department of Homeland Security said the Mexican entered the U.S. legally in 2023 on a tourist visa valid until February 2024. Two months later, he applied for permanent residence based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen “who is associated with the Sinaloa cartel through a prior relationship with the late son of infamous cartel leader Joaquin +El Chapo+ Guzman.” In January, while Joe Biden was still president, he was allowed to re-enter the U.S.

Donald Trump campaigned for president on a promise to expel millions of undocumented migrants from the U.S. and has taken a series of steps to speed up deportations and reduce border crossings.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said during a news conference Friday that she expects Chavez Jr. to be deported to Mexico to serve his sentence.

Chavez Jr. won the WBC middleweight title in 2011 and has defended it three times. He has a 54-7 fight record with one draw, but his career has also included multiple suspensions and fines for failed drug tests. (PAP)

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