The attorney for boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has issued a statement about Chavez’s arrest at the hands of the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday.
Chavez was arrested and is being threatened with deportation over his alleged ties to organized crime, specifically the Sinaloa Cartel. The US Department of Homeland Security said Chavez’s tourist visa has expired and that the boxer represents an “egregious public safety threat.”
Michael A. Goldstein, one of Chavez’s attorneys, strongly disputed that characterization in a statement, and accused the government of using Chavez to “terrorize” others.
“The current allegations are outrageous and appear to be designed as a headline to terrorize the community,” Goldstein said in a statement, via Emiliano Rodriguez Mega of the New York Times. “He has not been convicted of any gun charges and we fully expect his only pending case to be dismissed.”
Chavez’s wife, Frida Muñoz, was the daughter-in-law of notorious Mexican cartel leader “El Chapo” through a previous marriage. US officials have used that relationship as justification for not granting Chavez permanent citizenship through his marriage to an American citizen.
The 39-year-old Chavez is the son of famous former boxer Julio Cesar Chavez. He has gone 54-7-1 (1 no contest) during his boxing career, and just lost a fight with Jake Paul four days ago.
