Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a Mexican boxer with cartel ties just days after he fought influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul at an arena in Anaheim, California.
ICE arrested Julio César Chávez Jr. on Wednesday, four days after he lost to Jake Paul in a match at the Honda Center, with the federal agency now saying that the Mexican national has ties to the Sinaloa Cartel and will undergo “expedited removal.”
“On July 2, ICE arrested Mexican boxer and criminal illegal alien Julio César Chávez Jr.,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a post on X.
“He is now being processed for expedited removal from the United States. This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunitions and explosives,” DHS went on to say. “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.”
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César Chávez Jr. came into the United States legally on a tourist visa in February 2024, but was flagged as an “egregious public safety threat” in December of 2024. The Biden administration’s DHS decided that César Chávez Jr. was not an immigration enforcement priority and allowed him to reenter the United States on January 4, 2025, just before President Donald Trump was inaugurated.
“This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate with an active arrest warrant for trafficking guns, ammunition, and explosives was arrested by ICE,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin charged. “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.”
DHS explained that, in addition to his ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, César Chávez Jr. has an extensive criminal history. The illegal alien was convicted of driving under the influence in 2012 and of illegal possession of an assault weapon in 2024 in addition to being charged with trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.