A San Diego Padres coach's arrest at a Texas airport is sparking outrage after his family said he was taken into custody by ICE agents while simply flying home to see his kids.
According to The New York Times, Oswaldo Pirela, the Padres' minor-league catching coordinator, was detained by immigration authorities at El Paso International Airport around 4 a.m. on Sunday, said his wife, Kemberly Avila. Pirela, 34, was flying home to his family in Arizona. The Padres' Triple-A affiliate is based in El Paso. Avila said she has been in touch with her husband, and that the team has stepped in.
"Avila said she has been in contact with her husband, and that the Padres are assisting their family in the situation. Pirela, a 34-year-old father of two, was not carrying his work permit card at the time he was detained, said Oswaldo’s brother, Jorge Pirela. Pirela and his family are from Venezuela," the Times is reporting.
The Padres confirmed the detainment in a Monday statement: "We recently became aware of the detainment of minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela in El Paso, Texas. We are working to gather additional information and will not have any further comment at this time." Messages to ICE's El Paso office and its public affairs division went unanswered Monday night; the office's phone line rang out to an automated recording saying the facility was closed.
The news was greeted on social media with fury, with sportswriter Clarence Hill asking, "How many people in Major League Baseball voted for this, supported this[?] How many on Padres and Rangers from the field to the owners box."
Noted journalist Julie K. Brown wrote, "Tell me again how we were only going to target 'criminals.'
Former GOP Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) was furious, and posted to X, "F--- Trump. F-- ICE.
