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ESPN - Famed Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. was arrested for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application & will be deported to Mexico, where he faces organized crime charges.
The arrest comes days after the former middleweight champion lost a fight Saturday against influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. The Department of Homeland Security said officials determined that Chávez should be arrested June 27, a day before the fight. It was unclear why they waited to act for days after the high-profile event.
Many people across Southern California are on edge as immigration arrests have ramped up, prompting protests & the federal deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to downtown Los Angeles.
Chavez Jr, 39, is the son of Julio César Chávez, one of the most beloved athletes in Mexican history, The son has battled drug addiction for much of his career, has been arrested repeatedly. In 2012, he was convicted of drunken driving in Los Angeles & sentenced to 13 days in jail & in January 2024, he was arrested on gun charges. Police said he possessed two AR-style ghost rifles. He was freed on a $50,000 bond & 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 & 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, 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.
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