Padres prospect self-deports to Mexico after pleading guilty to human smuggling charge

NY Post ^ | 5/09/26 | Jake Nisse

[Libloather]

A top Padres prospect has self-deported to Mexico after pleading guilty to transporting undocumented immigrants within the United States.

Humberto Cruz, a pitcher ranked as the Padres’ fifth-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to receiving money for the transport, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, and acknowledged it was a “virtual certainty” he’d be deported.

The Athletic confirmed that Cruz, 19, had decided to self-deport and was back in Mexico.

The Padres’ understanding is that Cruz would lose his work visa for 10 years, but could reapply after five years of good behavior, the Union-Tribune reported.

Prosecutors had been seeking a felony charge for Cruz, whom the Padres signed in 2024 for a $750,000 bonus.

He was reportedly arrested in October near an Arizona border town, when cops suspected him of transporting illegal immigrants into the U.S. in a 2020 BMW SUV.

According to the Union-Tribune, Cruz waived his Miranda rights and said to agents that he knew the people he was transporting were illegal, and that he expected to be paid $1,000 for every individual he picked up.

Cruz had been rehabbing his elbow following Tommy John surgery when he was apprehended.

“To my teammates, the organization, our fans, and my family, I want to express my sincere regret for a recent lapse in judgment that has caused disappointment to many people I deeply respect,” he began in a statement released through the team.

---

TOPICS: History; Society; Sports; Travel
KEYWORDS: human; mexico; padres; smuggling

[Libloather]

Nasty curveball usually leads directly to human smuggling. Happens all the time.

[DIRTYSECRET]

$750k was not enough?