San Diego Padres minor-league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at El Paso International Airport on Sunday morning, the team confirmed. Pirela, who is from Venezuela, was not carrying his work permit card at the time, his brother told The Athletic.
“We recently became aware of the detainment of minor-league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela in El Paso, Texas,” the Padres reported in a statement. “We are working to gather additional information and will not have any further comment at this time.”
Pirela’s wife, Kemberly Avila, has been in contact with him. She told The Athletic that members of their family carry temporary ID cards and have pending asylum applications, and that they’ve had no previous encounters with immigration officials.
The Padres’ Triple-A affiliate is located in El Paso. Pirela was traveling home to Arizona.
