Trump Travel Ban Shuts Little Leaguers Out of World Series
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
‘Demoralized’ Little League Team Shut Out of World Series by Trump’s Travel Ban
The Cacique Mara Little League team from Maracaibo, Venezuela, had qualified for the Senior League Baseball World Series set to be held in South Carolina. The team was denied entry to the U.S. under President Donald Trump’s travel ban. The Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League from Victoria, Mexico, who came second in the qualifiers, will replace the Venezuelan team. The Venezuelan government called the decision an attack on the country and its young athletes. The decision was made by the State Department, which has the power to grant exceptions to the travel ban for major sporting events.
The Cacique Mara Little League team from Maracaibo, Venezuela, had qualified for the Senior League Baseball World Series set to be held in Easley, South Carolina, on Saturday.
Lake Maracaibo in Maracaibo, Venezuela. FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images
In an interview posted to social media, the president of Cacique Mara Little League explained that despite traveling to Bogotá, Colombia, two weeks in advance in an attempt to secure travel visas for the tournament, their applications were denied. Travelers from Venezuela face partially restricted entry to the U.S. under Trump’s travel ban.
League president Kendry Gutiérrez said of the decision, “The players are demoralized. All they know how to do is play baseball. They want to compete and honor Venezuela and Latin America. They don’t pose any threat; they’re 15-year-old kids who want to win the World Cup.”
Little League International told Politico that the news was “extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes.” The Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League team from Victoria, Mexico, who came second in the qualifiers, will replace the Venezuelan team.
Venezuela’s Deputy Minister of Anti-Blockade Policies William Castillo responded to the news by calling out State Secretary Marco Rubio by name, telling viewers of his Laiguana.tv program, “Mr. Marco Rubio has denied visas to a group of Venezuelan athletes, averaging 15 years old, who were scheduled to represent Venezuela in a baseball championship.”
#21Jul | La Liga Pequeña Cacique Mara denunció que el gobierno de Estados Unidos negó el #20Jul la visa a los peloteros venezolanos que representarían a Latinoamérica en el Mundial Senior de Pequeñas Ligas, que se realizará entre el #26Jul y el #2Ago en Carolina del Sur, Estados… pic.twitter.com/iVku52tr9z — El Diario (@eldiario) July 21, 2025
“They decided to deny them visas on instructions from the State Department. This is an attack on Venezuela, this is a restrictive measure,” he concluded.
While Trump’s travel ban allows for exceptions for athletes traveling for major sporting competitions—a clause likely to be subjected to scrutiny ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics, both set to take place in the U.S.—these exceptions are at Rubio’s discretion.