US deports Mexican boxer after ICE arrest in Los Angeles over alleged ties to Sinaloa cartel

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday confirmed that Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been deported from the United States back to Mexico, which comes a month after he was arrested in Los Angeles.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials arrested Chávez outside his home in Studio City in July over allegations that he was connected to the notorious Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel. 

Chávez was arrested days after he lost to American boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim. The 39-year-old boxer is known for being a former World Boxing Council middleweight world champion. 

Sheinbaum confirmed that the boxer was also wanted in Mexico as part of an investigation that began in 2019. The warrant for his arrest was issued in 2023, but he had primarily been in the United States and therefore not arrested by Mexico.

“I understand he was deported. I don’t know if it was yesterday or this morning, but we’re informed that he was going to arrive in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said, per NBC News. “There was an arrest warrant [against Chávez Jr.]. This was communicated several weeks ago. When he was arrested [in Los Angeles], there was an arrest warrant in Mexico from the Attorney General’s Office.”

Chávez has also been accused of making multiple “fraudulent statements” on his application for lawful permanent residence last year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He applied for permanent residence in 2024 based on his marriage to an American citizen who is also allegedly tied to the cartel.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.