Top San Diego Padres Prospect Likely to Be Deported after Guilty Plea

Details on Humberto Cruz’s Guilty Plea, Expected Deportation

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

As reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, Cruz pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of receiving money in exchange for transporting noncitizen immigrants within the United States.

As a non-U.S. citizen who worked in the country under a visa as part of the Padres’ organization, Cruz is expected to be deported. Ahead of the guilty plea, the team had placed him on the restricted list.

The Padres, according to the report, are of the understanding that Cruz won’t be permitted a work visa for the United States for the next 10 years. However, he would have an opportunity to reapply for one after five years.

On October 28 in Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico border, Border Patrol agents reportedly noticed an SUV with a single occupant headed toward the border. Not long after, it was spotted coming back with two additional passengers.

Upon being pulled over, Cruz told agents that he was aware the occupants in his car were undocumented and he was told he would be paid $1,000 for each person he transported.

If the five-year timeline holds, Cruz will be 24 years old by the time he is first eligible to return to the United States. Given the long layoff from pitching in organized baseball, it’s likely that his time with an MLB club is over.

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