Oswaldo José Pirela, a minor-league catching coordinator for the San Diego Padres, is in federal immigration custody after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at El Paso International Airport on Sunday. Pirela, 34, was taken into custody while traveling home from a work assignment, according to his family.
Pirela had been in El Paso for work related to the Padres' player-development operations and was preparing to return to Arizona, where he resides with his wife and two U.S.-born daughters. An ICE detainee search indicated that Pirela remained at the El Paso Processing Center as of Tuesday morning.
The Padres organization confirmed awareness of the situation. "We recently became aware of the detainment of minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela in El Paso, Texas," the team stated. "We are working to gather additional information and will not have any further comment at this time."
According to his family, Pirela came to the United States from Venezuela in 2014, applied for asylum, and has a pending case. His relatives also stated that he possesses work authorization in the U.S. The Athletic reported that Pirela was not carrying his physical work-permit card at the time of his detention. ICE has not publicly detailed the reasons for his continued custody.
"He did everything lawfully as the U.S. asks," said his sister, Daniela Pirela. "He loves this country."
Pirela's brother, Jorge, described their family's departure from Venezuela as a result of political persecution, and stated they pursued asylum through the established legal process. Jorge Pirela also characterized his brother as a devoted father, dedicated coach, and respected community member in his Instagram posts appealing for his release.
Pirela's career in baseball includes playing in the Texas Rangers' minor-league system from 2009 to 2011 before transitioning to coaching. He joined the Padres organization in 2024, serving as a catching coordinator within their player-development system.