Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s location unknown after ICE arrest

Boxer Julio Cesar Chávez Jr.’s location is unknown following his arrest by ICE last week, days after he fought influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. 

Chávez Jr. had been slated to appear in court on Monday in order to seek early release pertaining to a pretrial diversion program related to gun charges that were brought against him in 2024, but he did not appear and his attorney, Michael Goldstein, said he didn’t know where the boxer was, USA Today reported. 

“We have no idea. We have no information, unfortunately,” Goldstein told the outlet when asked if Chávez Jr. was still in the United States. 

The lawyer said that he had been able to ascertain two days ago that Chávez Jr. had been in Department of Homeland Security custody in Hidalgo, Texas. 

The boxer was arrested by U.S. immigration agents at his home in Los Angeles for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application, and Chávez Jr. has an active warrant in Mexico for allegedly trafficking arms and drugs. 

Mexican prosecutors allege that the 39-year-old has ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. 

Chávez Jr.’s father, Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chávez, defended his son in an interview with El Heraldo newspaper, saying that he “Is not a criminal.” 

“It’s complicated; there’s a lot of talk, but we’re calm because we know my son’s innocence,” Chávez Sr. told the Colombian newspaper. “My son will be anything you want, anything, but he is not a criminal and less everything he’s being accused of.”

The investigation into Chávez Jr. began in 2019, according to Mexico’s Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that they hoped that he would be extradited to Mexico. 

The elder Chávez questioned why his son was allowed to fight against Paul before being arrested by ICE. 

The DHS had determined that Chávez Jr. should be arrested the day before the fight, June 27. 

“Why did they let him fight? My son has been paying taxes in the United States for three years, and now in Mexico they’re accusing him of money laundering,” Chavez Sr. said. “Yes, he knows those people, but that doesn’t mean I’m a drug trafficker. Let’s trust the law.”