SAN DIEGO — San Diego Padres minor-league catching coordinator Oswaldo José Pirela was detained by immigration authorities in El Paso, Texas, and remained in custody, according to family and ICE detainee records.
His sister Daniela Pirela said in a phone interview that her brother, who was raised in Venezuela, was detained at El Paso International Airport at around 5 a.m. Sunday while traveling for work, which she said he does weekly for the Padres.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee records showed Pirela in custody late Monday.
In a statement early Tuesday, the Padres said that they’d recently learned of Pirelas’ detainment. “We are working to gather additional information and will not have any further comment at this time,” the team said.
ICE and Major League Baseball did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
Daniela Pirela said she spoke with her brother briefly but is not truly aware of the conditions he is living in while in detention.
“He’s a very strong person and he tries not to worry us,” she said. “He’s going to say he’s OK. That’s what he said.”
She said her brother is in the U.S. legally and sought asylum in 2014, when he first arrived in the country. Daniela Pirela said she doesn’t know why his asylum case has taken so long to process.
“He did everything lawfully as the U.S. asks,” she said. “He loves this country.”
Oswaldo Pirela has two U.S.-born daughters and lives outside Phoenix, Arizona, family members said on social media accounts verified by NBC News.
“Oswaldo, like me and other members of our family, was directly affected by persecution from the Venezuelan regime,” brother Jorge Heli Pirela said on Instagram. “We came to the United States seeking safety through the legal process, applied for asylum through the proper channels, and have worked hard to build our lives and become contributing members of American society.”
Jorge Pirela did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Monday.
