Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. remains unknown after Ice arrest
USA Today Sports ‘Josh Peter is discussing at ICE the latest developments surrounding the arrest of boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Sports Pulse
Van Nice, Calif. — Attorneys for boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. said he doesn’t know if his client is still in the US after he was arrested on Ice last week.
Chavez Jr. was scheduled to appear in court Monday to seek early release from the early detour program from the January 2024 gun charge. But Chavez Jr. told the Northwest Division of Superior Court of Los Angeles, and his lawyer, Michael Goldstein, that he didn’t know where his client was.
Goldstein said two days ago he learned that Chavez Jr. was under DHS’s control in Hidalgo, Texas. When asked Monday if Chavez Jr. was still in the US, Goldstein told USA Today Sports:
According to DHS, 39-year-old Chavez Jr. was arrested on July 2 outside his home in Studio City, a nearby Los Angeles area. ICE then detained the former world champion boxer and began a process of rapid removal into Mexico, DHS said in its first statement. USA Today Sports contacted DHS for an update to Chávez Jr.’s status, headed for a press release on July 3rd.
The arrest comes days after former world champion Chavez Jr. fought celebrity boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. Chavez Jr., the son of legendary Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., lost a 10-round match to Paul due to unanimous decision. DHS said Chavez Jr. is facing an arrest warrant in Mexico on suspicion of ties with the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico.
In August 2023, Chavez Jr. legally entered the country on a B2 tourist visa valid until February 2024. In a press release, DHS allowed President Joe Biden’s administration to re-enter Chavez Jr. in January, and assumed him to the country at the port of San Isidro in California.
The Trump administration has launched a widespread crackdown on immigration to fulfill the president’s campaign promise to illegally deport millions of people in the country.
A report by EFE News Service said on July 6, Mexico’s top prosecutors knew that U.S. authorities have been appointed in Mexico since at least 2023 on charges related to their relationship with the Sinaloa drug cartel.
Chavez Jr. “With knowledge of the US authorities, I entered the United States with the tourist visa they had accepted,” Attorney General Alejandro Ghatz Manelo told EFE. “They were totally aware that they had an arrest warrant.”
Mexican lawyers, Chavez Jr., sought “amparo” or an injunction, preventing arrest in Mexico when he was deported, Manelo said. It was not immediately clear whether Chavez Jr. would face deportation or formal extradition to Mexican authorities.
A few days after being arrested by ice agents, Chavez Jr. was yet to be found on July 7th in the agency’s online detainee locator. It can take several days or a week for ice detainees to appear on the locator as they wait for it to be processed.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said he hopes Chavez Jr. faces justice in Mexico. Mexico has been under investigation since 2019 and faces charges related to weapons and drug trafficking.
“The hope is that he will be deported and served his sentence in Mexico,” Sinbaum said at a daily press conference on Friday, July 4th.
After Chavez Jr. was arrested in Los Angeles in January 2024 on gun charges, the court granted the repurpose of Chavez before trial. Goldstein said Chavez Jr. started the program five months ago by his own agreement. However, as Chavez is not in court on Monday, assistant supervisor to Judge Neet S. Badan Smith set up a new hearing on August 21st.
“Create your hearing,” Badan Smith said, but she also mentioned the face of Chavez Jr., an active arrest in Mexico.
When asked what his plan was, Goldstein replied, “We’ll be back on the 21st and we’ll deal with it. We’ll get more information.”
Mark Jeannott contributed to this story.
This story was updated with new information after contacting DHS about an update to Chávez’s current status.
