Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs | https://www.dhs.gov/
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for expedited removal from the United States. Chavez, a Mexican citizen, is wanted in Mexico on charges related to organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.
Chavez entered the U.S. legally with a B2 tourist visa in August 2023, which was valid until February 2024. He is believed to be associated with the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. ICE arrested him in Studio City, California on July 2.
In April 2024, Chavez applied for Lawful Permanent Resident status based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen linked to the Sinaloa Cartel through a past relationship with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman's deceased son. In December 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services referred Chavez as an egregious public safety threat to ICE. However, internal records under the Biden administration indicated he was not prioritized for immigration enforcement.
On January 4, 2025, Chavez was allowed reentry into the U.S. at the San Ysidro port of entry despite multiple fraudulent statements on his application for residency being identified later in June 2025.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commented on the arrest: “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.”
Chavez's criminal record includes a DUI conviction in California in 2012 and more recent charges related to weapons offenses in Los Angeles in January 2024.
President Donald J. Trump had designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization during his tenure due to its involvement in various violent crimes against Americans and its role in fentanyl trafficking across the border.
