ICE arrests Mexican boxer just days after his latest bout
Julio César Chávez Jr. gestures during a fight against Anderson "Spider" Silva as part of the Tribute to the Kings at Jalisco Stadium on June 19, 2021, in Guadalajara, Mexico. |By Gregory Svirnovskiy
07/03/2025 05:24 PM EDT
Federal immigration agents on Wednesday arrested Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. in Los Angeles, just days after his latest high-profile bout, and are processing him for deportation.
Chávez, the Department of Homeland Security said in a Thursday press release, faces an active arrest warrant in Mexico 'for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.' The agency also claimed he is 'believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel.'
The arrest of the athlete, son of legendary Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Sr., is yet another public episode in President Donald Trump's rapid and ambitious deportation agenda.
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3 hours ago
In Sinaloa's capital, news of a boxing scion's arrest and allegations of cartel ties cause unease
CULIACAN, Mexico -- Inside a sports arena in Sinaloa state's capital, the crowd was sparse early on the card as young amateur boxers in puffy headgear threw punches and danced about the ring. Outside stood a bronze statue of Julio César Chávez in boxing trunks, one glove raised. The event Friday was organized by one of Chávez's brothers and 'The Legend' himself was advertised as a specially invited guest. But Chávez didn't appear. It had been a difficult week for the family. Chávez's eldest son, Julio César Chávez Jr., was arrested by U.S. immigration agents outside his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, accused of overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application. But more significant here in Culiacan was that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security also noted that there was an active warrant for his arrest in Mexico for alleged arms and drug trafficking and suggested ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. The agency said he would be processed for expedited removal. The name Julio César Chávez in Culiacan is like saying Diego Maradona in Argentina. People stop and conversations begin. Chávez is the city's idol and source of pride, known simply as 'The Legend.' He went from a working class neighborhood along train tracks to the highest echelons of boxing fame and became a national hero. But when the questions turn to Chávez's eldest son and the Sinaloa Cartel, conversation ends and eyes avert. There was a time when many in Culiacan would speak of the cartel that carries their state's name, perhaps with euphemisms, but openly all the same, because its control was complete and for that they largely lived in peace. But since a bloody feud erupted between factions of the cartel last year, following the abduction of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada to the United States by one of the sons of former leader Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, it's safer to avoid any mention at all. In the stands Friday night, the arrest of The Legend's son, was on the minds of many, but discussed only in hushed voices. Óscar Arrieta, a sports reporter in Culiacan, covers boxing and said Chávez Jr.'s arrest had had a big impact in Culiacan, largely because the 'harsh' way U.S. authorities linked him to organized crime. U.S. authorities did not detail the alleged ties between Chávez Jr. and the cartel other than to mention that he married a U.S. citizen who is the mother of a granddaughter of Guzmán. He mused at why if there had been a Mexican arrest warrant since 2023, hadn't there been any effort to capture him. He was a very public figure, active on social media and for the past six months or more, training for a highly promoted fight in California. On Friday, Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said that he had mostly been in the U.S. since the arrest warrant was issued. 'I think it was also a way for the United States to expose the Mexican government in a way, but without a doubt much more impactful, because normally sports doesn't mix with anything else, much less with organized crime,' Arrieta said. Culiacan's boxing gyms had mostly been quiet since Thursday's announcement of Chávez Jr.'s arrest, in preparation for Friday's event. There had already been weigh-in for Friday's fights and most fighters weren't around. At one that was mostly covered outdoor spaces, teenagers tightly wrapped their wrists, bounced and shuffled, shadow boxing in a circle. Jorge Romero is a former professional boxer who trained under another Chávez brother. Now he's a trainer at Sinaloa Autonomous University. Romero said he knows Chávez Jr., regards him 'an excellent person, a great human being' who had really focused on his training ahead of his bout in California just a week ago. He expressed full support for him. Questions of ties between Chávez Jr. and organized crime, Romero said, were 'too delicate' to touch. But in general, he said boxing and the cartel walked separate paths in Culiacan. 'We don't have anything to do with organized crime,' he said. 'On the contrary, it's a clean sport, very healthy from my point of view.'


Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
Texas police officer shot near ICE detention center as Trump officials promise zero tolerance
The Trump administration is taking a "zero tolerance" approach to attacks on law enforcement after a Texas police officer was shot outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center. The message came after similar incidents in other cities amid backlash against President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement agency. An Alvarado, Texas, police officer was shot Friday night near the Prairieland Detention Facility, authorities said. "We are closely monitoring the attacks on DHS detention facilities in Prairieland, TX, and Portland, OR, and are coordinating with the [US Attorney offices] and our law enforcement partners," said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on X. "The Department [of Justice] has zero tolerance for assaults on federal officers or property and will bring the full weight of the law against those responsible," he added. In Alvarado, a suburb of Fort Worth, several suspects were arrested after an officer with the Alvarado Police Department was shot at around 11 p.m. while responding to reports of a suspicious person, FOX Dallas reported. When the officer tried making contact with the person, shots were fired and the officer was struck in the neck. The officer was flown to a Fort Worth hospital for treatment and was later released. Several armed suspects fled but were arrested with the help of the Johnson County Sheriff's Office and other authorities, the news station reported.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Reports: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was directed to beat cartel members 'like a punching bag'
Mexico's Attorney General's Office (FGR) claims former world champion boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was a "henchman" of the Sinaloa Cartel. Chavez Jr., 39, was taken into custody Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Studio City, Calif., for what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said was an active warrant out of Mexico. According to a report from Mexican newspaper Reforma (via Mi Morelia), Chavez Jr. allegedly punished members of the Sinaloa Cartel by beating them up under the direction of a leader, Nestor Ernesto Perez Salas, aka "El Nini." An indictment states FGR intercepted phone calls between December 2021 and June 2022, which detailed how "El Nini" ordered subordinates who made mistakes to be tied up and hanged so Chavez Jr. could beat them "like a punching bag." Wiretaps of alleged drug traffickers and immigration records shared by U.S. agencies were presented as evidence. Chavez Jr. is to be deported to Mexico, although no date has been set. The U.S. government claims he has ties to the Sinaloa Cartel in addition to improper documents to remain in the country legally. Chavez Jr. lost a unanimous decision to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on June 28 in a 10-round bout in Anaheim, Calif. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Reports: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. directed to beat up cartel members