Mexican boxer César Chávez Jr arrested, faces deportation, charges in US

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Julio César Chávez Jr., former world boxing champion and son of Mexican legend Julio César Chávez Sr., has been arrested in the United States for visa violations and alleged immigration fraud, according to federal authorities.

The arrest has drawn attention due to Chávez’s ties to high-profile individuals and the timing, just days after his high-profile boxing loss to Jake Paul in Anaheim, California.

The Department of Homeland Security disclosed on Thursday that Chávez was taken into custody for overstaying a tourist visa and submitting false information in a green card application.

Homeland Security officials reportedly decided to arrest the 39-year-old on June 27, one day before the fight, but waited several days before taking action. The reasons for the delay remain unclear.

Chávez was apprehended by numerous federal agents on Wednesday while riding a scooter in front of a residence in the upscale Studio City neighbourhood of Los Angeles, according to his attorney, Michael Goldstein.

“The current allegations are outrageous and simply another headline to terrorize the community,” Goldstein said.

The arrest has heightened anxieties in Southern California amid an uptick in immigration-related detentions.

Demonstrations have broken out, and federal troops, including National Guard and Marines, have been deployed to downtown Los Angeles.

As of Thursday morning, Chávez’s whereabouts remained unknown, Goldstein said. The boxer is also due in court Monday for a prior case involving gun possession.

The Chávez family expressed support in a statement shared with the Los Angeles Times, “We have full confidence in his innocence,” the statement read. “We firmly believe that the proper course is to allow the competent authorities to carry out their work without external pressure or speculation.”

Prior to his recent loss to Paul, Chávez had only fought once since 2021. His career has long been marred by controversy and comparisons to his legendary father, a multi-division world champion and International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee.

The younger Chávez has struggled publicly with substance abuse and has faced several legal troubles.

In 2012, Chávez was convicted of driving under the influence in Los Angeles and sentenced to 13 days in jail.

More recently, in January 2024, he was arrested for possessing two AR-style ghost guns. He was released on a $50,000 bond and agreed to enter a residential drug rehab program, reporting his progress regularly. That case remains ongoing.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Chávez entered the U.S. in August 2023 on a tourist visa, which expired in February 2024.

Nevertheless, he remained in the country and filed for permanent residency on April 2, based on his marriage to U.S. citizen Frida Muñoz, who has familial ties to the imprisoned Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

Federal authorities allege that Chávez provided false statements in his residency application and consider him to be associated with the Sinaloa Cartel, a group held responsible for widespread drug violence in Mexico.

The Department of Homeland Security labeled him “an egregious public safety threat” in a December 17 internal alert and criticized the Biden administration for allowing him to reenter the U.S. on January 4 without a valid visa.

The Mexican Attorney General’s Office announced Thursday that an arrest warrant for Chávez had been issued in March 2023 as part of an investigation into organized crime and arms trafficking. Mexico has now formally initiated the extradition process.

A U.S. federal agent confirmed to the Associated Press that “Julio C” in official documents refers to Chávez, though the agent declined to comment on why he had not been apprehended in Mexico earlier, despite frequent travel between the two countries.

News of Chávez’s detention has sparked debate in Mexico. Some see it as politically motivated.

“I think that the U.S. government, in this case, Trump, is up to something,” said newspaper vendor Martín Sandoval Peñaloza in Mexico City. “To attract media attention.”

Others felt Chávez’s past foreshadowed this outcome.
“I think it was predictable because he has had a lifetime of drug use,” said storekeeper Oscar Tienda.

Despite years of erratic behaviour and inconsistent performance, Chávez achieved notable success in boxing. He captured the WBC middleweight title in 2011 and defended it three times.

He shared the ring with elite fighters like Canelo Álvarez and Sergio Martinez, though he lost to both.

Chávez had claimed sobriety in the run-up to the Paul fight and appeared in peak physical condition during training.

“There are a lot of good people, and you’re giving the community an example of violence,” Chávez told the Los Angeles Times ahead of the fight. “After everything that’s happened, I wouldn’t want to be deported.”

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