Posted on 08/18/2026 10:34:43 AM PDT by BusterDog
The San Diego Padres' minor league catching coordinator has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Oswaldo Pirela, 34, who is from Venezuela, was taken into custody early Sunday at El Paso (Texas) International Airport, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Tuesday. He was not carrying his work permit card at the time, his brother, Jorge Pirela, told The Athletic.
According to a statement from DHS, Pirela entered the country legally in 2014, but that expired in 2018 and he "was not in possession of legal documentation granting him status in the country." It said Pirela would remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.com ...
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Seems like home is Venezuela and he was just visiting Arizona.
If I were trying to pull that off. I would avoid plane travel. El Paso to Arizona is a day drive.
“Catching Coordinator”? Is that one of the jobs they cannot find Americans to do?
I forget, do minor league contracts supercede immigration laws?
He was caught.............
One of the reasons I stopped watching baseball years ago. Bringing in all the lower America and other countries, we have enough American boys who want to play. Setting up the “Academies” they set up down there for the players to be cultivated over home grown boys irked me.
Yerrrrr out!
Has always irked me, too.
Americans FIRST!!
Minor league catching coordinator? What a cushy gig that must be. “Yo, hombre, digamè. Squat down and face-o el peetcher. When he throws the ball to you, you catch eet. Comprende? Bien. And then you throws the ball back to him and do eet all over again. Very simple. Vaminos. Let’s go.”
Heh, heh. Good one. Tom Homan is a major league catching coordinator.
The Artful Dodger
Caught Stealing , thrown out, game over.
He had a work permit but it expired years ago?
Don’t we all take care of basics like that, if we are responsible people?
For example, if your driver’s license is expiring soon, wouldn’t you make it a priority to take care of it?
Ditto if you are in a profession for which you need a professional license? Wouldn’t you make sure to renew such a license and not let it lapse?
Apparently not automatically.
“Your Honor, I forgot.”
“You’ll remember next time.”
I'm sure they do to ESPN.
Arrest everyone in the food chain up to and including the MLB Commissioner, for employing an illegal alien. 8 years’ worth of each day = 1 offense.
Doesn’t MLB use E-Verify?
Yes.
Cross your T’s... Dot your I’s... And everything will go smoothly. Don’t do that and things can go sideways real fast.
We all need to follow the rules... That’s the difference between civilization and anarchy.
I think the “catching coordinator” got caught by ICE.
Bingo.
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