The U.S. Border Patrol arrested the San Diego Padres' minor-league catching coordinator, a Peoria resident, at an El Paso airport as he prepared to return home.
Oswaldo José Pirela Dominguez, 34, was arrested Aug. 16 at El Paso International Airport, the Department of Homeland Security told The Arizona Republic.
DHS said Pirela entered the United States legally from Venezuela in September 2014 but was authorized to remain only until Feb. 10, 2018.
He will remain in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody while removal proceedings move forward, the department said.
“Work authorization or a pending application do NOT confer legal status in the United States,” a Homeland Security official said in an emailed statement.
Pirela’s family disputes
the way the government has characterized his immigration history. Relatives have said he sought asylum after coming to the United States and repeatedly received federal authorization to work.
His brother Juan Pirela said Oswaldo had on him a work permit card issued in 2024 and valid through 2029, according to reporting by Arizona Family.
His brother Jorge Heli Pirela publicly has called for his release, saying the family came to the United States after facing persecution in Venezuela.
“My brother is not a criminal,” Jorge Pirela wrote on Instagram. “He is a son, a brother, a coach, a worker, and a man who came to this country seeking protection.”
Jorge said his brother followed the asylum process, built a life in the United States and was traveling for his job when he was detained. He said Pirela’s daughters are now waiting for their father to return home.
Pirela's job also has deep Arizona ties. He is a roving catching instructor based at the Padres' spring-training complex in Peoria and travels among the organization’s minor-league affiliates.
The Padres’ staff directory lists him as the organization’s coordinator of catching.
Pirela’s professional baseball career began after the Texas Rangers signed him as a teenager. He played three seasons in the Rangers’ Dominican Summer League system from 2009 through 2011. He joined the Padres organization in 2024 as bench coach for the Single-A Lake Elsinore Storm before moving into the catching coordinator role.
The Padres have said they are gathering information about Pirela’s detention and have declined further comment.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona-based Padres coach detained by Border Patrol, held by ICE
