RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Oswaldo Pirela , the San Diego Padres coach who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in El Paso this month, is no longer in federal custody as of Wednesday.
Pirela, 34, was arrested at El Paso International Airport on Aug. 16, then held at the El Paso Processing Center. A minor-league catching coordinator for the Padres, Pirela was traveling from El Paso to his home in Arizona before his detainment. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said last week Pirela came to America legally in 2014 as he sought Asylum, but the legal status of the Venezuelan native expired in 2018. Pirela did not have his work authorization permit on him at the time of his detainment, but DHS says a work permit does not confer legal status.
The Padres confirmed news of Pirela's release on Wednesday.
"We are pleased that Oswaldo Pirela has been released on bond and reunited with his family," the Padres wrote in a statement issued to The Athletic . "Out of respect for his privacy and the ongoing matter, we will have no further comment at this time."
BREAKING: SD Padres Catching-Coordinator and Former Texas Rangers baseball player, Oswaldo Pirela, was detained by ICE at the airport in El Paso, TX. A resident of AZ, he has lived and worked in the United States since 2014 and is a father to two United States born daughters. pic.twitter.com/9aMDh1ZZa6
Pirela is reunited with his family as of Wednesday. But he still faces deportation.
DHS says Pirela was released from ICE custody on bond, "pending his removal proceedings," per NBC News . Pirela's family disputes DHS' stance, and has hired legal council to petition Pirela's impending deportation. Pirela's family says he entered the United States legally via tourist visa, filed for asylum, then obtained subsequent, legally binding work permits "related to that process."
"The expiration date of a visa stamped in a passport does not, by itself, determine how long a person was authorized to remain in the United States," the Pirela family told NBC, "Nor does it prove that he was without any immigration proceedings since that date."
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