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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. detained by ICE and on track to | |
be deported just days after fighting Jake Paul | |
By Kyle Feldscher and Holmes Lybrand, CNN | |
Updated: | |
7:18 PM EDT, Thu July 3, 2025 | |
Source: CNN | |
Days after fighting social media influencer in a high-profile bout in | |
California, Mexican boxer was arrested by ICE agents on Wednesday and | |
is in the process of being deported from the United States over alleged | |
cartel ties and other infractions, the Department of Homeland Security | |
said in a statement on Thursday. | |
Chávez Jr., the son of longtime boxer Julio César Chávez, entered | |
the country on a tourist visa in August 2023, which expired in February | |
2024, according to Thursday’s release. | |
DHS officials say Chávez Jr. made fraudulent statements on his recent | |
immigration application and has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for | |
alleged involvement “in organized crime and trafficking firearms, | |
ammunition, and explosives,” according to the release. | |
CNN has attempted to contact a representative for Chávez Jr. for | |
comment. | |
His attorney told the Associated Press the current allegations against | |
his client are “outrageous and simply another headline to terrorize | |
the community.” | |
The boxer filed for permanent residency in April 2024 based on his | |
marriage to a US citizen, who DHS officials say is connected to the | |
Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico through a past relationship with one of | |
the now-deceased sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the former | |
leader of the cartel. | |
He was allowed to reenter the country on January 4 and the US | |
government determined he was in the country illegally and could be | |
removed on June 27, the release said. | |
Chávez Jr. fought Paul the next day, losing in a unanimous decision to | |
the YouTuber-turned-boxer. | |
“This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate with an active arrest warrant for | |
trafficking guns, ammunition, and explosives was arrested by ICE. 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,” Assistant | |
Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in the statement. | |
“Under President Trump, no one is above the law—including | |
world-famous athletes. 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.” | |
The Trump administration has made the deportation of undocumented | |
immigrants its top priority since the president came back into office | |
in January. That’s taken many forms, including mass deportations of | |
criminals and non-violent offenders alike and sending them back to | |
their home countries, domestic camps that have been turned into | |
detainment sites for undocumented migrants and, in some cases, using | |
foreign prisons to house deportees. | |
The furor over ICE’s deportation activities set off weeks of unrest | |
in Los Angeles and caused a dustup between the federal government and | |
the last month over the presence of US Customs and Border Protection | |
vehicles in Dodger Stadium’s parking lot. | |
The fight between Paul and Chávez Jr. took place in Anaheim, | |
California, just a few miles down the freeway from Los Angeles. The | |
Mexican boxer was heavily cheered by the crowd, though he was soundly | |
defeated in his second fight in four years. | |
The 39-year-old has a career record of 54-7-1 with 34 knockouts. | |
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