Prominent Mexican boxer Julio C. Sarvez Jr. has been arrested by US immigration officials and is being deported; according to officials, he has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and the trafficking of explosives, firearms, and ammunition.
The Department of Homeland Security, which is in charge of ICE, said that Ch vez, 39, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Studio City on Wednesday and is being processed for an expedited removal from the United States.
Although the Biden administration stated in internal documents that Chvez was not an immigration enforcement priority, a Homeland Security news release stated that he had been identified as a public safety threat.
According to officials, Chvez was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department in January of last year and charged with manufacturing or importing a short-barreled rifle and unlawfully possessing an assault weapon. Later on, he was found guilty of the accusations.
Sean Gibbons, Chvez’s manager, told The Times that they are working on a few issues after the boxer’s arrest, but he had nothing else to say.
Chvez Jr., the son of Mexican boxing great Julio C. Sar Chvez, who is considered by many to be the best boxer in his nation’s history, lost his bout against influencer-turned-fighter Jake Paul on Saturday.
Ch vez worked out in public in Maywood two weeks prior to his fight versus Paul in Anaheim, when he was interviewed by The Times. He disclosed that one of his instructors had not attended the seminar because he was afraid of immigration officials.
To be honest with you, I was afraid. “It’s really ugly,” Chvez remarked. I don’t understand why there is so much violence in this circumstance. You’re setting an example of violence for the community, and there are many decent individuals. Coming from Sinaloa, a place with a lot of beauty, and witnessing Trump disparaging immigrants and Latinos without cause is incredibly upsetting. You believe you know everything if you are not in God’s presence. Trump made a poor choice.
“I wouldn’t want to be deported after everything that’s happened,” he continued.
U.S. officials described Chvez as a member of the Sinaloa cartel when they made the detention public on Thursday. The Mexican drug trafficking organization has been classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Trump administration.
In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin stated that under President Trump, everyone is subject to the law, even well-known athletes.
Chvez entered the nation lawfully in August 2023 with a B2 tourist visa that was good until February 2024, according to the Homeland Security news release. Based on his marriage to Frida Mu oz, a U.S. citizen, who U.S. officials claim has ties to the Sinaloa cartel through a previous relationship with the now-deceased son of notorious cartel leader Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, he had applied for lawful permanent resident status in April of last year.
After being found guilty in 2019 of leading the Sinaloa cartel, El Chapo, a well-known admirer of Chavez Sr. during his fighting days, is currently serving a life term in a federal prison in the United States.
Mu oz had dated Edgar Guzm n Loera, the oldest son of El Chapo, who was murdered in Sinaloa in 2008.
A daughter, Frida Sof a Guzm n Mu oz, was born to the couple. After Edgar passed away, Mu oz relocated to the US and separated from her family, finally starting a romance with Ch vez. In addition to often attending her stepfather’s fights, including the most recent one in Anaheim, their daughter Frida Sofa lately started a music career.
Chavez has come under fire for allegedly having connections to people involved in drug trafficking. He has claimed acquaintance with Ovidio Guzmn, another El Chapo son who has pled guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in Chicago, according to court records, in long social media videos.
The Homeland Security news statement states that on December 17 of last year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services referred Ch vez to ICE on the grounds that he posed a serious risk to public safety.
But according to the leak, a DHS law enforcement system entry made under the Biden administration showed that Chvez was not a priority for immigration enforcement.
The announcement states that Chvez was permitted to into the nation on January 4 at the port of entry in San Ysidro.
According to the Homeland Security release, he was found to be in the country illegally and removable on June 27 after making several false representations on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident.
Since he was a little boy, Chvez has been in the spotlight as a boxer, frequently accompanying his father to the ring. He started fighting professionally in 2003 and had his highest point in 2011 when he defeated Sebastian Zbik to win the WBC middleweight belt. Before surrendering the title to Sergio Martnez in 2012, he successfully defended it three times.
But discipline problems, substance misuse, and difficulties gaining weight have dogged his career. When he met fellow Mexican sensation Sa l Canelo lvarez in 2017, he lost badly by unanimous decision, which was a watershed in his career’s downfall.
Chvez Jr., also known as El Hijo de la Leyenda (Son of the Legend) or just JR, has experienced personal and legal issues recently. After being taken into custody on suspicion of possessing weapons, he checked himself into a residential rehabilitation center. His fight with addiction has often been publicized, including his heated arguments on social media with his father, who has been both his strongest ally and one of his harshest critics.
Homeland Security reports that Chvez was found guilty of driving while intoxicated in 2012 and received a sentence of 36 months of probation and 13 days in jail.
Homeland Security claims that a district judge issued an arrest warrant for Chvez in 2023 for the charge of organized crime with the intent to commit offenses related to manufacturing and trafficking in weapons.
According to the announcement, the warrant was issued for individuals who manufacture guns, ammunition, cartridges, and explosives without the required permit as well as those who engage in the illegal importation of these items into the nation.
