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07/03 19:57 CDT Mexican boxer Julio Csar Chvez Jr. arrested by ICE for deportation, federal officials say Mexican boxer Julio Csar Chvez Jr. arrested by ICE for deportation, federal officials say By JAIMIE DING and JULIE WATSON Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Famed Mexican boxer Julio Csar Chvez Jr. has been arrested for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application and will be deported to Mexico, where he faces organized crime charges, U.S. federal officials said Thursday. The arrest came only days after the former middleweight champion lost a match against influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. The Department of Homeland Security said officials determined Chvez should be arrested on June 27, a day before the fight. It was unclear why they waited to act for days after the high-profile event.

The boxer was riding a scooter when agents detained him The 39-year-old boxer, according to his attorney Michael Goldstein, was picked up Wednesday by a large number of federal agents while he was riding a scooter in front of a home where he resides in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City near Hollywood. "The current allegations are outrageous and simply another headline to terrorize the community," Goldstein said. Many people across Southern California are on edge as immigration arrests have ramped up, prompting protests and the federal deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to downtown Los Angeles. Goldstein did not know where Chvez was being detained as of Thursday morning, but said he and his client were due in court Monday in connection with prior gun possession charges. Chvez's family issued a statement Thursday afternoon in support of him, the Los Angeles Times reported. "We have full confidence in his innocence," the statement said. "We firmly believe that the proper course is to allow the competent authorities to carry out their work without external pressure or speculation."

Before his recent bout, Chavez fought once since 2021 Before his bout with Paul on Saturday, Chvez had fought just once since 2021, having fallen to innumerable lows during a lengthy boxing career conducted in the shadow of his father, Julio Csar Chvez, one of the most beloved athletes in Mexican history and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame who won championships in several weight classes. The son, who has battled drug addiction for much of his career, has been arrested repeatedly. In 2012, he was convicted of drunk driving in Los Angeles and sentenced to 13 days in jail and in January 2024 he was arrested on gun charges. Police said he possessed two AR-style ghost rifles. He was later freed on a $50,000 bond and on condition he went to a residential drug treatment facility. The case is still pending, with Chvez reporting his progress regularly. He split his time between both countries. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Chvez for overstaying a tourist visa that he entered the U.S. with in August 2023 and expired in February 2024, the Department of Homeland Security said. The agency also said Chvez submitted multiple fraudulent statements when he applied for permanent residency on April 2, 2024, based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, Frida Muoz. 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.

Federal officials called Chavez a public safety threat U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services flagged Immigration and Customs Enforcement about Chvez on Dec. 17, saying he "is an egregious public safety threat," and yet he was allowed back into the country without a visa on Jan. 4 under the Biden administration, the agency said. Mexico's Attorney General's Office said that an arrest warrant against "Julio "C was issued in Mexico in March 2023 in an investigation of organized crime and arms trafficking allegations and that Mexico on Thursday initiated extradition proceedings. A federal agent who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed to The Associated Press that "Julio C" is Chvez. The agent declined to explain why Chvez was not arrested earlier in Mexico despite going back and forth between the two countries multiple times.

In Mexico, mixed feelings followed the arrest In Mexico, word of U.S. agents arresting a well-known athlete prompted mixed feelings. Martn Sandoval Pealoza, a newspaper seller in Mexico City, said he believes President Donald Trump wanted to make him an example. "I think that the U.S. government - in this case, Trump -- is up to something," he said, adding that it was "to attract media attention." Oscar Tienda, a Mexico City storekeeper, said he wasn't surprised given the boxer's troubles. "I think it was predictable because he has had a lifetime of drug use," he said. Despite widely being criticized for his intermittent dedication to the sport, Chvez still rose to its heights. He won the WBC middleweight title in 2011 and defended it three times. Chvez shared the ring with generational greats Canelo Alvarez and Sergio Martinez, losing to both. Chvez claimed to be clean for the Paul fight. He looked in his best shape in years while preparing for the match. Chvez said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times ahead of his fight with Paul that he and his trainers were shaken by the immigration arrests. "There are a lot of good people, and you're giving the community an example of violence," Chvez said. "After everything that's happened, I wouldn't want to be deported." ---- Associated Press journalists Carlos Rodriguez, Fabiola Sanchez and Martn Silva in Mexico City contributed to this story. Watson reported from San Diego.

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