Sister says Venezuelan coach applied for asylum in 2015
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained a San Diego Padres minor league catching coach at an El Paso airport on Sunday after he arrived on a work trip for the club, his sister said Tuesday. Federal records show Oswaldo Pirela is being held in a detention center in El Paso.
Pirela was taken into custody around 5 a.m. Sunday at the airport, according to his sister, Daniela Pirela. The Padres operate a minor league affiliate in the city — the El Paso Chihuahuas — and Pirela was traveling on club business when the arrest occurred.
The San Diego Padres said in a statement Tuesday that the team was aware of Pirela’s arrest and was trying to gather more details. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
Daniela Pirela said her 34-year-old brother, a former Venezuelan baseball player, has lived in the United States for 12 years and has followed the law. He applied for asylum in 2015 and resides in Peoria, Arizona, with his wife and two children, ages 9 and 4, who are both U.S. citizens.
The reasons for Pirela’s detention and the current status of his asylum application were not immediately available.