U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Padres minor league coach Oswaldo Pirela at the El Paso International Airport Sunday morning.<\/p>\n
Now, Pirela\u2019s family is demanding his release, saying he has a valid work permit, two U.S. citizen children and is currently pursuing an asylum application because he fears persecution in his native Venezuela.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just want to have him released,\u201d said his brother, Jorge Pirela. \u201cWe don\u2019t want him detained anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pirela, who currently lives in Arizona, has been in the country since 2014, according to the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n
He worked as a landscaper in Florida for several years and joined the Padres organization as a bench coach in Lake Elsinore in 2024, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is currently the team\u2019s minor league catching coordinator, according to ESPN.<\/p>\n
Before coming to the U.S., Pirela played for the Texas Rangers organization in the Dominican Summer League.<\/p>\n
Jorge Pirela told KPBS that although his brother\u2019s visa expired, he still has a valid work permit and a pending asylum application.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a completely legal immigrant,\u201d Jorge Pirela said. \u201cHe did everything the right and proper way. We followed every single pathway that the Congress created for us immigrants. And we did everything legally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Previous administrations would not prioritize people with pending asylum applications for detention. Instead they reserved detention for people with criminal records or those who recently crossed the border illegally.<\/p>\n
After his arrest, Pirela\u2019s family have posted several videos on social media asking for his release.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world needs more people like Owsaldo,\u201d his mother, Naivy Dominguez, posted online<\/a>. \u201cA devoted father, a loving son and brother, a hardworking man, a man of faith and a person of integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n Deporting Pirela to Venezuela would put him in danger because of his vocal criticism of the authoritarian government, his brother told KPBS.<\/p>\n The entire family celebrated the Trump administration\u2019s capture of Venezuela leader Nicolas Maduro in January.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing that we want to keep clear is that the government in Venezuela is still persecuting everybody that is against him,\u201d Jorge Pirela said. \u201cThis is still happening. If you get stopped in the middle of the road, they can check your phone to see if you have any type of pictures or things that celebrate or go against the government.\u201d<\/p>\n Pirela\u2019s arrest is part of a nationwide trend<\/a>. ICE began using airport arrests in July as another component of its mass deportation campaign.<\/p>\n The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) sends ICE a list of everyone flying in U.S. airports a few times a week, according to the National Immigration Law Clinic.<\/a> That list contains people\u2019s names, photos and other personal information. ICE then cross-references the TSA list with their own list of targets.<\/p>\n People arrested in airports include those with expired visas or pending immigration applications \u2014 like Pirela.<\/p>\n In a statement confirming the arrest, the Department of Homeland Security claimed Pirela\u2019s legal status had expired.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be clear, work authorization or a pending application do NOT confer legal status in the United States,\u201d a DHS spokesperson wrote in a statement.<\/p>\n The San Diego Padres said they are aware of Pirela\u2019s arrest but declined to comment further.<\/p>\n