The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the detention and said Pirela remains in ICE custody while immigration proceedings continue.
The Padres acknowledged the situation but offered few details.
“We recently became aware of the detainment of minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela in El Paso, Texas,” the Padres said in a statement. “We are working to gather additional information and will not have any further comment at this time.”
DHS Says His Authorization Expired Years Ago
At the heart of the case is a dispute over exactly what immigration protections Pirela currently possesses.
Pirela’s relatives say he has spent years attempting to navigate America’s immigration system legally.
According to his family, he arrived in the United States from Venezuela in 2014 and sought asylum. His wife, Kemberly Avila, has said members of the family still have asylum applications pending and possess temporary identification documents.
His brother, Jorge Pirela, also said the coach did not have his physical employment authorization card with him when authorities detained him.
But the federal government’s account raises a much more serious question about Pirela’s immigration status.
DHS says Pirela was legally admitted into the United States in 2014, but his authorization expired in 2018.
The agency said Pirela “was not in possession of legal documentation granting him status in the country.”
That distinction could determine what happens next.
According to DHS, Pirela will remain detained as removal proceedings advance.
His family disputes the implication that he simply abandoned the legal immigration process. Relatives maintain that Pirela has continued pursuing legal status and repeatedly renewed his permission to work while his case moved through the system.
The family is reportedly also seeking an EB-2 employment-based visa for the baseball coach.
From Minor League Player to Padres Coach
Pirela’s connection to professional baseball stretches back years.
Before becoming a coach, he played in the Texas Rangers’ minor league system. He eventually transitioned from playing into player development and joined the Padres organization in 2024.
He now works across San Diego’s farm system as the organization’s minor league catching coordinator.
His presence in El Paso was connected to that job. The Padres’ Triple-A club, the El Paso Chihuahuas, plays there.
What appeared to be a routine return trip from work instead ended with Pirela in federal custody.
His wife has reportedly been able to speak with him since the detention, while relatives say the Padres organization has been assisting the family as they try to determine their next legal move.
Trump Immigration Crackdown Puts Status Under Scrutiny
Pirela’s detention comes amid the Trump administration’s aggressive push to enforce existing immigration law and remove individuals who lack lawful status in the United States.
The administration has made immigration enforcement a central priority, with ICE increasingly targeting individuals who federal authorities say have no current legal basis to remain in the country.
Pirela’s case also demonstrates how complicated those encounters can become when asylum petitions, employment authorizations and other immigration proceedings overlap.
His family portrays him as a longtime U.S. resident who has worked, raised a family and continued pursuing legal immigration remedies.
Federal authorities, however, are focusing on a narrower question: whether Pirela currently possesses documentation legally authorizing him to remain in the country.
DHS says he does not.
That leaves the Padres coach facing removal proceedings despite more than a decade in the United States and a career inside professional baseball.
For now, Pirela remains in ICE custody.
Neither Major League Baseball nor the Padres has publicly indicated whether the detention could jeopardize his job, and officials have not announced a timetable for resolving his immigration case.
The next battle will likely take place inside the immigration system, where Pirela’s attorneys and family will have to establish what protections — if any — prevent the government from deporting him.
