EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — San Diego Padres minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela has been released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on Monday, a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed.

According to a DHS spokesperson on Tuesday, Pirela was released from ICE custody on bond pending his removal proceedings.

“On August 24, he was released from ICE custody on bond pending his removal proceedings,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to KFOX14/CBS4.

As KFOX14/CBS4 previously reported, Pirela, a Venezuelan national, was detained at the El Paso airport last week

According to DHS, Pirela entered the United States legally on Sept. 10, 2014, and was authorized to remain in the country until Feb. 10, 2018. The department alleges that he remained in the United States beyond that date and did not possess documentation establishing current lawful immigration status when he was approached by federal officers.

The department also said that work authorization or a pending immigration application, by itself, does not confer lawful immigration status.

The precise details of Pirela’s immigration case, including whether he has pending applications, claims for relief, or other proceedings that could affect his status, were not immediately available.

Pirela serves as the Padres’ minor league catching coordinator and works within the organization’s player development system.

In a statement to KFOX14/CBS4, the Padres confirmed Pirela’s release, stating he has reunited with his family, but did not offer any further details.

“We are pleased that Oswaldo Pirela has been released on bond and reunited with his family. Out of respect for his privacy and the ongoing matter, we will have no further comment at this time.”

The family of Pirela previously provided KFOX14/CBS4 a statement, which was translated from Spanish to English by KFOX14/CBS4.

Full statement:

Our family wishes to provide an important update regarding Oswaldo José’s immigration case and detention in light of information released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).In statements concerning his detention, DHS has asserted that Oswaldo had been unlawfully present in the United States since 2018 and has referenced an alleged immigration permit or benefit related to that period.Our family disputes that account of the facts.Oswaldo legally entered the United States on a tourist visa and subsequently filed an application for asylum. Since then, he has had an ongoing immigration process and has obtained work authorization related to that process.We believe it is especially important to clarify the reference to the year 2018. Oswaldo’s tourist visa had an expiration date in 2018. However, the expiration date of a visa stamped in a passport does not, by itself, determine how long a person was authorized to remain in the United States, nor does it establish that the person had no pending immigration process after that date.For that reason, we are asking DHS to specifically clarify what document, immigration decision, or record it is relying on to assert that Oswaldo was unlawfully present in the United States beginning in 2018, particularly when records exist concerning his asylum application and subsequent employment authorizations.The attorney representing the case has also indicated that there appear to be discrepancies between the information DHS is relying upon and the history reflected in the relevant immigration records. This matter is currently under legal review.Our family is not asking for special treatment. We are asking for transparency, accuracy, and due process.We respectfully ask members of the media to help raise one fundamental question:What documentary evidence is DHS relying upon to support its assertion that Oswaldo was unlawfully present in the United States since 2018, and how does DHS reconcile that assertion with his asylum application and the immigration documents subsequently issued to him?We are prepared to provide journalists and authorities with the available documentation necessary to verify the timeline of the case.Our goal is to ensure that the facts are fully reviewed and that no decision concerning Oswaldo’s freedom or future is based on inaccurate or incomplete information.The Family of Oswaldo José

KFOX14/CBS4 has asked the family for their documents.

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