Padres minor league coach released by ICE on bond but still faces deportation to Venezuela

Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times on Aug 26, 2026

Published in Baseball

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Oswaldo Pirela, a San Diego Padres minor league coach who was taken into custody by ICE on Aug. 16, was released on bond Monday "pending his removal proceedings," according to the Dept. of Homeland Security.

The Padres confirmed that Pirela is home in Peoria, Ariz., with his wife and two daughters. However, the Venezuelan native still faces deportation and has retained an attorney. The amount of his bond has not been publicly disclosed.

"On August 16, 2026, Border Patrol arrested Oswaldo Jose Pirela Dominguez, an illegal alien from Venezuela, at the El Paso International Airport. He entered the country legally but violated the terms of his admission," a DHS spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday evening. "When approached by law enforcement officers, he was not in possession of legal documentation granting him status in the country.

"On August 24, he was released from ICE custody on bond pending his removal proceedings."

A spokesperson for DHS said Pirela, 34, came to the United States in September 2014 and that his permission to remain expired Feb. 10, 2018. DHS said Pirela was not carrying his work permit at the time he was detained.

Pirela's brother Juan Pirela presented Phoenix multimedia news organization Arizona's Family with Oswaldo's work permit, which indicated it was issued in 2024 and is valid until 2029. Pirela's wife, Kemberly Avila, said last week that she and her husband have pending asylum applications.

Pirela, the Padres' roving catching instructor, was with the organization's Triple-A affiliate in El Paso during its home game Aug. 15 against the Salt Lake City Bees, an Angels affiliate. He was detained early the next morning while waiting to fly home.

The day after he was detained, DHS issued a statement that said in part, "To be clear, work authorization or a pending application do NOT confer legal status in the United States.

"In violation of our nation's laws, [Pirela] overstayed his welcome.

Pirela was signed by the Texas Rangers at age 17 out of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, and played catcher, first base and the outfield from 2009 to 2011 for the team's Dominican Republic Summer League affiliate. He is in his third season with the Padres and served as bench coach for their Class-A affiliate in Lake Elsinore in 2024.

"We are pleased that Oswaldo Pirela has been released on bond and reunited with his family," the Padres statement said. "Out of respect for his privacy and the ongoing matter, we will have no further comment at this time."