Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. arrested by ICE for deportation, federal officials say
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Famed Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been arrested for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application and will be deported to Mexico, where he faces organized crime charges, U.S. federal officials said Thursday.
The arrest came only days after the former middleweight champion lost a match against influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. The Department of Homeland Security said officials determined Chávez should be arrested on June 27, a day before the fight. It was unclear why they waited to act for days after the high-profile event.
Advertisement
The boxer was riding a scooter when agents detained him
The 39-year-old boxer, according to his attorney Michael Goldstein, was picked up Wednesday by a large number of federal agents while he was riding a scooter in front of a home where he resides in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City near Hollywood.
'The current allegations are outrageous and simply another headline to terrorize the community,' Goldstein said.
Many people across Southern California are on edge as immigration arrests have ramped up, prompting protests and the federal deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to downtown Los Angeles.
Advertisement
Goldstein did not know where Chávez was being detained as of Thursday morning, but said he and his client were due in court Monday in connection with prior gun possession charges.
Chávez's family issued a statement Thursday afternoon in support of him, the Los Angeles Times reported.
'We have full confidence in his innocence,' the statement said. 'We firmly believe that the proper course is to allow the competent authorities to carry out their work without external pressure or speculation.'
Before his recent bout, Chavez fought once since 2021
Before his bout with Paul on Saturday, Chávez had fought just once since 2021, having fallen to innumerable lows during a lengthy boxing career conducted in the shadow of his father, Julio César Chávez, one of the most beloved athletes in Mexican history and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame who won championships in several weight classes.
Advertisement
The son, who has battled drug addiction for much of his career, has been arrested repeatedly. In 2012, he was convicted of drunk driving in Los Angeles and sentenced to 13 days in jail and in January 2024 he was arrested on gun charges. Police said he possessed two AR-style ghost rifles. He was later freed on a $50,000 bond and on condition he went to a residential drug treatment facility. The case is still pending, with Chávez reporting his progress regularly.
He split his time between both countries. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Chávez for overstaying a tourist visa that he entered the U.S. with in August 2023 and expired in February 2024, the Department of Homeland Security said.
The agency also said Chávez submitted multiple fraudulent statements when he applied for permanent residency on April 2, 2024, based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, Frida Muñoz. She is the mother of a granddaughter of imprisoned Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.
U.S. officials said he is believed to be an affiliate of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel that is blamed for a significant portion of Mexico's drug violence.
Advertisement
Federal officials called Chavez a public safety threat
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services flagged Immigration and Customs Enforcement about Chávez on Dec. 17, saying he 'is an egregious public safety threat,' and yet he was allowed back into the country without a visa on Jan. 4 under the Biden administration, the agency said.
Mexico's Attorney General's Office said that an arrest warrant against 'Julio 'C was issued in Mexico in March 2023 in an investigation of organized crime and arms trafficking allegations and that Mexico on Thursday initiated extradition proceedings.
A federal agent who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed to The Associated Press that 'Julio C' is Chávez. The agent declined to explain why Chávez was not arrested earlier in Mexico despite going back and forth between the two countries multiple times.
Advertisement
In Mexico, mixed feelings followed the arrest
In Mexico, word of U.S. agents arresting a well-known athlete prompted mixed feelings.
Martín Sandoval Peñaloza, a newspaper seller in Mexico City, said he believes President Donald Trump wanted to make him an example.
'I think that the U.S. government - in this case, Trump – is up to something," he said, adding that it was 'to attract media attention.'
Oscar Tienda, a Mexico City storekeeper, said he wasn't surprised given the boxer's troubles.
'I think it was predictable because he has had a lifetime of drug use," he said.
Despite widely being criticized for his intermittent dedication to the sport, Chávez still rose to its heights. He won the WBC middleweight title in 2011 and defended it three times. Chávez shared the ring with generational greats Canelo Álvarez and Sergio Martinez, losing to both.
Advertisement
Chávez claimed to be clean for the Paul fight. He looked in his best shape in years while preparing for the match.
Chávez said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times ahead of his fight with Paul that he and his trainers were shaken by the immigration arrests.
'There are a lot of good people, and you're giving the community an example of violence,' Chávez said. 'After everything that's happened, I wouldn't want to be deported.'
—-
Associated Press journalists Carlos Rodriguez, Fabiola Sanchez and Martín Silva in Mexico City contributed to this story. Watson reported from San Diego.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
27 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Want to take a dip in Paris? River Seine reopens to public swimming for first time in a century
PARIS (AP) — For the first time in over a century, Parisians and tourists will be able to take a refreshing dip in the River Seine. The long-polluted waterway is finally opening up as a summertime swim spot following a 1.4 billion euro ($1.5 billion) cleanup project that made it suitable for Olympic competitions last year. Three new swimming sites on the Paris riverbank will open on Saturday — one close to Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral, another near the Eiffel Tower and a third in eastern Paris. Swimming in the Seine has been illegal since 1923, with a few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation. Taking a dip outside bathing areas is still banned for safety reasons. The Seine was one of the stars of the Paris Olympics in 2024, whether as the scene of the ambitious opening ceremony or the triathlon and marathon swimming competitions. That didn't go without challenging hurdles such as rainfall increasing levels of bacteria, which postponed some competitions. This city's authorities have given the green light for the public opening, with water quality results consistently in line with European regulations. Making splashes in Paris city center 'It's a symbolic moment when we get our river back,' said sports coach and influencer Lucile Woodward, who will participate in the first amateur open water competition in the Seine on Sunday. Woodward, who enjoyed a dip alongside Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo just before the start of the Olympic Games, is confident things will go well. 'We're going to enjoy swimming in it, being there and setting an example," she said. "Once people will see that in the end there are hundreds of people who have fun and enjoy it, everyone will want to go!' 'For families, going to take a dip with the kids, making little splashes in Paris, it's extraordinary,' Woodward added. Olympic athletes competing in the river was a spectacular reward for the cost of the cleanup effort. In the run-up to the Games, authorities opened new disinfection units and created a huge storage basin meant to prevent as much bacteria-laden wastewater as possible from spilling directly into the Seine when it rains. Houseboats that previously emptied their sewage directly into the river were required to hook up to municipal sewer systems. Some homes upstream from Paris also saw their wastewater connected to treatment plants instead of the rainwater system flowing directly into the river. Green flag for swimming Paris Deputy Mayor Pierre Rabadan said water is tested daily to confirm it's safe to swim. As on French beaches, different colored flags will inform visitors whether or not they can go in. 'Green means the water quality is good. Red means that it's not good or that there's too much current,' he said. Tests have been in line with European regulations since the beginning of June, with only two exceptions due to rain and boat-related pollution, Rabadan said. 'I can't make a bet on the numbers of days when we'll have to close this summer, but water quality seems better than last year,' he added. 'We're in a natural environment … so weather condition variations necessarily have an impact." Last year, several athletes became ill after competing in the triathlon and open water races during the Olympics, though in most cases it was not clear if the river was to blame for their sickness. World Aquatics stressed the conditions met the sport's accepted thresholds. 'The legacy of these efforts is already evident, with the Seine now open for public swimming — a positive example of how sports can drive long-term community benefits,' the organization said in a statement to The Associated Press. Skepticism remains about water quality Dan Angelescu, founder and CEO of Fluidion, a Paris and Los Angeles-based water monitoring tech company, has routinely and independently tested bacterial levels in the Seine for several years. Despite being in line with current regulations, the official water testing methodology has limitations and undercounts the bacteria, he said. 'What we see is that the water quality in the Seine is highly variable,' Angelescu said. 'There are only a few days in a swimming season where I would say water quality is acceptable for swimming.' 'All we can say is that we can raise a hand and say look: the science today does not support the current assessment of water safety used in the rivers around Paris, and we think that there is major risk that is not being captured at all,' he said. Some Parisians also have shown skepticism toward the idea of swimming in the Seine. The feeling is often reinforced by the water's murky color, floating litter and multiple tourist boats in some places. Enys Mahdjoub, a real estate agent, said he would not be afraid of swimming, but rather "a bit disgusted. It's more the worry of getting dirty than anything else at the moment.' A dream come true Until the end of August, swimming sites will be open for free at scheduled times to anyone with a minimum age of 10 or 14 years, depending on the location. Lifeguards will keep a watchful eye on those first dips. 'It's an opportunity, a dream come true," said Clea Montanari, a project manager in Paris. "It'd be a dream if the Seine becomes drinkable, that would be the ultimate goal, right? But already swimming in it is really good.'
San Francisco Chronicle
27 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Wimbledon: Ben Shelton needs four points and about a minute to wrap up a win
LONDON (AP) — Two-time Grand Slam semifinalist Ben Shelton needed all of about a minute and exactly four points — three of which were aces — to wrap up a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Rinky Hijikata on Friday in a second-round Wimbledon match suspended the night before because of darkness at 5-4 in the third set. 'Very different playing over two days and coming out for whatever that was — 55 seconds? — today,' the 10th-seeded Shelton said. 'I was hoping to maybe hit a few groundstrokes today. I might have to go to the practice courts.' The American, who reached the final four at the 2023 U.S. Open and this year's Australian Open, was about to try to serve out the match on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. when action was halted at No. 2 Court, which does not have a roof or artificial lights. They came back out to the same stadium a little less than 16 hours later and, after a warmup period that was quite a bit longer the resumption of actual play, Shelton began with a 141 mph ace. The 22-year-old left-hander then hit a second serve that resulted in a framed return by Hijikata, followed with an ace at 140 mph and one more at 118 mph to end things quickly. 'You come out here, serving for the match, the nerves are there a little bit. To hit three aces and take the pressure off of myself, I couldn't have been happier with what I came out here and did," said Shelton, who will face 105th-ranked Marton Fucsovics of Hungary for a chance to reach the fourth round at the All England Club for the second consecutive year. Shelton told the crowd: "I'm sorry that you guys didn't really get to see much tennis.' Right before things were halted Thursday, Shelton held three match points while leading 5-3 and at love-40 on Hijikata's serve. But but the 87th-ranked Hijikata grabbed the next five points to extend the contest. 'A great match,' he said. 'A clean match.' ___
San Francisco Chronicle
27 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
David Lappartient to serve third term as UCI president unopposed
AIGLE, Switzerland (AP) — Frenchman David Lappartient will run unopposed for a third term as UCI president, cycling's governing body said on Friday. Lappartient, who is also the former head of the French Olympic Committee, lost to Kirsty Coventry in the race for president of the International Olympic Committee earlier this year. He has been president of the UCI since 2017. 'Only David Lappartient, current UCI President, submitted a candidacy for the position,' the UCI said. 'His election for a third four-year term will be confirmed without a vote.' The election of the president for the 2025-29 period will take place during the next UCI Congress, which will be held on Sept. 25 in Kigali, Rwanda. ___
