Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Mexico over alleged cartel ties and faces weapons charges in the country, Trump the administration announced.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to The Hill that Chavez Jr., the son of legendary boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., was deported on Monday to Mexico, where he has had an active arrest warrant for allegedly trafficking guns, ammunition and explosives, along with an alleged affiliation with the Sinaloa Cartel.
“It is shocking the Biden 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 Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the deportation on Tuesday during a press conference.
“I understand he was deported. I don’t know if it was yesterday or this morning, but we were informed that he was arriving in Mexico,” Sheinbaum stated, according to The Associated Press.
Chavez Jr. was arrested by federal officers in early July, days after his fight with Jake Paul in California.
Chavez Jr., who won the WBC middleweight title in 2011, was convicted of drunken driving in 2012 and was sentenced to 13 days in jail in California. The Los Angeles Police Department arrested the boxer in January 2024, charging him with illegal possession of an assault weapon and manufacture of import of short short-barreled rifle, according to DHS. Chavez Jr. was freed on bond and the case has been pending, the AP reported.
“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,” McLaughlin said. “The days of unchecked cartel violence are over.”
