Venezuelan youth baseball staff denied journey visas to U.S. for match

A Venezuelan youth baseball staff won’t take part within the Senior League World Series as a result of it was denied journey visas to the U.S., Little League International stated Friday.

The staff, Cacique Mara, reached the championship spherical of the match after successful the Latin America qualifiers in Mexico final month and was scheduled to play Saturday in South Carolina. Instead, the Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League staff from Victoria, Mexico, and second-place finisher within the Latin America qualifiers took Cacique Mara’s place.

The Senior League World Series is a match for gamers ages 13-16 organized by Little League International. It is held yearly in Easley, S.C., for groups from six U.S. areas and 6 worldwide areas. The Senior League World Series is for gamers older than the 10-12-year-olds who take part within the Little League World Series, a extra high-profile match held in South Williamsport, Pa.

Cacique Mara stated in a social media post that its gamers and coaches attended interviews on July 14 for acquiring visas and have been denied by a U.S. immigration officer. When Little League International tried to rearrange emergency visas for the staff, the group’s request was denied, the staff stated.

The State Department stated in a press release to The Athletic that it’s reviewing the choice to disclaim entry to Cacique Mara.

“The players are demoralized. All they know how to do is play baseball. They want to go compete and leave the name of Venezuela and Latin America high. They don’t represent any threat; they are 15-year-old kids who want to win the World Cup,” Kendry Gutiérrez, president of the Cacique Mara Little League, stated in a launch.

Cacique Mara’s visa denial follows President Donald Trump’s signing a proclamation in June to ban residents of 12 nations from coming into the U.S. and to partially limit entry for residents of seven different nations, together with Venezuela, citing nationwide safety issues.

At the time, the State Department stated Trump’s government order accommodates exemptions for nationals who would enter the U.S. as athletes for main sporting occasions, in addition to assist employees and speedy kinfolk of athletes. However, there are not any such assurances for followers, elevating many questions forward of the 2026 World Cup, which will probably be hosted within the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Cacique Mara isn’t the primary sports activities staff denied entry for a match after Trump’s ban. Earlier this month, the Cuban women’s national volleyball team had its visa requests denied for the NORCECA Women’s Final Four match in Puerto Rico, a match that awards rating factors towards qualification for the Volleyball Nations League. By lacking the match in Puerto Rico, the Cuban ladies’s nationwide volleyball staff will seemingly not make the Nations League.

Cuba is among the many seven nations with restricted entry into the U.S.

(Photo: Peter Aiken / Imagn Images)