WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Studio City, California, citing his ties to the Sinaloa Cartel and an active arrest warrant in Mexico. The arrest was announced Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is now processing Chavez for expedited removal from the United States.
According to DHS, Chavez entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa in August 2023, which expired in February 2024. He later filed for permanent residency through marriage to a U.S. citizen reportedly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. Despite a December 2024 referral to ICE labeling Chavez a public safety threat, internal DHS records under the Biden administration noted he was not considered a removal priority. He was subsequently paroled back into the U.S. in January 2025.
Chavez’s criminal history includes convictions for driving under the influence in 2012, illegal possession of assault weapons in 2024, and a 2023 Mexican warrant tied to organized crime and weapons trafficking. ICE determined on June 27, 2025, that Chavez was in the country illegally.
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin criticized prior handling of the case, stating, “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.”
The arrest comes amid renewed efforts by the Trump administration to target cartel affiliates in the U.S., following its designation of the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization earlier this year.
