DHS Announces ICE Arrest of Mexican Boxer, Sinaloa Cartel Affiliate with Active Criminal Arrest Warrant Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Despite Chavez being flagged as a public safety threat, the Biden administration indicated in internal records he was not an immigration enforcement priority

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained prominent Mexican boxer and criminal illegal alien Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and is processing him for expedited removal from the United States. Chavez is a Mexican citizen who has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.

In August 2023, he entered the country legally with a B2 tourist visa that was valid until February 2024.

Chavez is also believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. ICE arrested Chavez in Studio City, California on July 2.

On April 2, 2024, Chavez filed application for Lawful Permanent Resident status. Chavez’s application was based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

On December 17, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chavez is an egregious public safety threat. However, an entry in a DHS law enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated Chavez was not an immigration enforcement priority.

On January 4, 2025, the Biden administration allowed Chavez to reenter the country and paroled him into the country at the San Ysidro port of entry.

Following multiple fraudulent statements on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident, he was determined to be in the country illegally and removable on June 27, 2025.

“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,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “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.”

This criminal illegal alien's rap sheet is below:

• On January 22, 2012, California Highway Patrol arrested Chavez and charged him with DUI alcohol/drugs and Driving Without a License. On June 23, 2012, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, convicted Chavez for the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol and sentenced him to 13 days in jail and 36 months’ probation.
• On January 14, 2023, a District Judge issued an arrest warrant for Chavez, for the offense of organized crime for the purpose of committing crimes of weapons trafficking and manufacturing crimes, in the modality of those who participate in clandestinely bringing weapons, ammunition, cartridges, explosives into the country; and those who manufacture weapons, ammunition, cartridges, and explosives without the corresponding permit.
• On January 7, 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Chavez and charged him with Illegal Possession of Any Assault Weapon and Manufacture or Import Short Barreled Rifle. The court convicted Chavez of these charges.

On his first day in office, President Donald J. Trump designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The Sinaloa Cartel targeted and viciously murdered U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Nicholas Quets, and has kidnapped, tortured and killed many other Americans. The Sinaloa Cartel has also played a major role in the trafficking of fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border. President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow vicious cartels to operate on American soil.

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