A San Diego Padres minor-league catching coordinator has been released on bond, more than a week after being detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents while in El Paso for work.
The family of Oswaldo Pirela, 34, confirmed that he was no longer in custody. His name is no longer included in the federal online detainee locator system.
A native of Venezuela, Pirela was traveling back home to Arizona from El Paso when he was taken into custody by federal agents at the airport.
Pirela’s family said he has an ongoing asylum case. Pirela has been living in the United States since 2014 and has an active work permit.
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said last week that Pirela “was granted permission by the Obama administration” to remain in the country until Feb. 10, 2018. “In violation of our nation’s laws, he overstayed his welcome,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Pirela did not have legal documentation granting him status in the U.S. when he was approached by law enforcement officers at the El Paso airport, according to the spokesperson. He was in town to work with the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Padres’ top minor-league affiliate.
Pirela was born in Barquisimeto, a city of 1.2 million people located in the northwest part of Venezuela. He played catcher and first base in the Texas Rangers organization before joining the Padres’ minor-league coaching ranks in 2024. He was the Lake Elsinore Storm’s bench coach in his first year before moving to Arizona.
Pirela is based near the Padres’ Peoria spring training headquarters.
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