A former professional baseball player from Venezuela working for the San Diego Padres organization was detained by U.S. immigration officers after arriving in Texas on a work trip for the club, his family said Tuesday.
Oswaldo Pirela, a catching coach in the Padres’ minor-league system, was being held in a detention center in El Paso, federal records show. The Padres said in a statement that the team was aware of Pirela’s arrest and was trying to gather more details.
Pirela was on a work trip when he was arrested around 5 a.m. Sunday at an airport in El Paso, according to Daniela Pirela, his sister. The Padres have a minor-league affiliate team in the city, the El Paso Chihuahuas.
Daniela Pirela said her 34-year-old brother has lived in the U.S. for 12 years and has followed the law. She said he applied for asylum in 2015 and lives in Peoria, Ariz., with his wife and two children, ages 9 and 4, who are both U.S. citizens. The Padres spring training complex, which operates as a year-round facility for the organization, is located in Peoria.
“Since he arrived in this country, the only thing he’s done is follow the rules of this country and do things properly,” Daniela Pirela told The Associated Press.
The Department of Homeland Security said Oswaldo Pirela entered the country legally in 2014 and was granted permission to stay until 2018. He then “overstayed his welcome,” DHS said in a statement, adding that work authorization or pending applications “do not confer” U.S. legal status.
Pirela is in ICE custody pending removal, DHS said.
Pirela had a brief minor-league playing career as a catcher in the Texas Rangers organization.