A San Diego Padres minor league coach is sitting in federal immigration custody after ICE agents detained him at a Texas airport, putting his immigration history — and competing claims about his legal status — under a national spotlight.
Oswaldo Pirela, 34, serves as the Padres’ minor league catching coordinator. The Venezuelan national was taken into custody early Sunday at El Paso International Airport after completing baseball-related work in the city.
Pirela was preparing to return to Arizona, where he lives with his wife and two daughters, when federal immigration authorities stopped him.
