Venezuelan Little League team denied entry into US amid Trump travel ban
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
United States denies entire team visas for Little League World Series
United States denies entire team visas for Little League World Series. A Venezuelan baseball team was denied visas into the United States. They will therefore not be able to compete in this year’s Senior Baseball World Series in South Carolina. The Cacique Mara team punched their ticket to the tournament after emerging victorious in the Latin American championship in Mexico. In their absence, Santa Maria de Aguayo — the runner-ups in the event — will take their place.”It is a mockery on the part of Little League to keep us here in Bogota with the hope that our children can fulfill their dreams of participating in a world championship,” the team said in a statement. “I think this is the first time this has happened, but it shouldn’t end this way,” the Venezuelan league’s president said.
A Venezuelan baseball team was denied visas into the United States and will therefore not be able to compete in this year’s Senior Baseball World Series
A Venezuelan baseball team was denied visas into the United States (Image: Getty Images)
A Venezuelan baseball team will not be able to compete in this year’s Little League Senior Baseball World Series after it was denied visas into the United States.
Last month, President Donald Trump unveiled a travel ban to the U.S. on 12 other countries — with athletes slated to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup expected to be exempt from the restrictions.
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Unfortunately for the Cacique Mara team based in Maracaibo, Venezuela, they were not given the same preferential treatment. And they are not the only team to miss out on a major international competition as a result of United States border policy.
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According to the Little League International, the club was unable to secure the required documents needed to enter the United States.
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“The Cacique Mara Little League team from Venezuela was unfortunately unable to obtain the appropriate visas to travel to the Senior League Baseball World Series,” an official statement read.
The Cacique Mara team punched their ticket to the tournament after emerging victorious in the Latin American championship in Mexico. In their absence, Santa Maria de Aguayo — the runner-ups in the event — will take their place.
“While this is extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes, the Little League International Tournament Committee has made the decision to advance the second place team, Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League (Victoria, Mexico), to participate in the Senior League Baseball World Series and ensure the Latin America Region is represented in the tournament and that the players, coaches, and families from Mexico are able to have a memorable World Series experience,” the statement continued.
Two weeks ago, the Cacique Mara team traveled to Bogota, Colombia to apply for visas at the U.S. embassy.
President Donald Trump unveiled a travel ban to the U.S. on 12 other countries last month (Image: Getty Images)
“It is a mockery on the part of Little League to keep us here in Bogota with the hope that our children can fulfill their dreams of participating in a world championship,” the team said in a statement.
“What do we do with so much injustice, what do we do with the pain that was caused to our children?”
Kendrick Gutierrez, the Venezuelan league’s president, did little to hide his frustration upon learning that Cacique Mara team had been ruled out of the Senior League Baseball World Series — a tournament for 13-16 year old players held annually in Easley, South Carolina.
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“They told us that Venezuela is on a list because Trump says Venezuelans are a threat to the security of his state, of his country,” Gutierrez said. “It hasn’t been easy, the situation. We earned the right to represent Latin America in the world championship.
“I think this is the first time this has happened, but it shouldn’t end this way. They’re going to replace us with another team because relations have been severed. It’s not fair. I don’t understand why they put Mexico in at the last minute and left Venezuela out.”
Venezuelan team denied entry into U.S. for Little League’s senior tournament
Venezuelan team was denied visas into the U.S. for the Senior League World Series. A team from Victoria, Mexico, will reportedly take Venezuela’s spot as the tournament’s Latin American team. The Venezuelan team was reportedly deemed ineligible for visas due to a June executive order from President Donald Trump. Venezuela is one of the countries that currently faces a limited ban on visas for international sporting events, including the World Cup in 2026 and the Summer Olympics in 2028. The president of the team had his own reaction, as translated by World Baseball: “The players are demoralized. All they know how to do is play baseball. They want to compete and honor Venezuela and Latin America.”
The Cacique Mara team from Maracaibo, Venezuela, was denied visas into the United States and will be forced to miss the Senior League World Series for players between 13 and 16 years old, Little League confirmed in a statement to South Carolina’s WSPA. A team from Victoria, Mexico, will reportedly take Venezuela’s spot as the tournament’s Latin American team in Easley, South Carolina.
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The full statement:
“Little League® International has been notified that the Cacique Mara Little League team from Venezuela was unfortunately unable to obtain the appropriate visas to travel to the Senior League Baseball World Series in Easley, South Carolina. While this is extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes, the Little League International Tournament Committee has made the decision to advance the second place team, Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League (Victoria, Mexico), to participate in the Senior League Baseball World Series and ensure the Latin America Region is represented in the tournament and that the players, coaches, and families from Mexico are able to have a memorable World Series experience.”
The Senior League World Series is held each year in Easley, with six teams from the United States and six international teams. A different team from Maracaibo won the tournament last year.
The Venezuelan team was reportedly deemed ineligible for visas due to a June executive order from President Donald Trump that limits entry into the U.S. from certain countries. Venezuela is one of the countries that currently faces a limited ban.
The Venezuelan team, which was attempting to procure its visas in Bogota, Colombia, posted a statement on Instagram calling the decision a “mockery” via a machine translation. Team Venezuela beat the Mexican team it’s being replaced by last month in the Latin American regional tournament.
The president of the team had his own reaction, as translated by World Baseball:
“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,” said Kendry Gutiérrez, president of the Cacique Mara Little League, the Maracaibo, Zulia-based league that sponsored the team.
While the Senior League World Series is not a high-profile tournament, an international team being denied entry into the U.S. will be cause for concern for some, given how many international sporting events the country is set to host over the next three years, including the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Summer Olympics in 2028.
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Trump’s executive order grants exceptions to “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.” However, that leaves room for uncertainty as to what constitutes a “major” sporting event and turns Secretary of State Marco Rubio into a significant athletic authority.
Earlier this month, a Cuban women’s volleyball team was denied visas into Puerto Rico under similar circumstances.
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Venezuelan teenagers denied US visas for Senior Baseball World Series
Venezuela is among a list of countries with restrictions for entering the US or its territories. US president Donald Trump has banned travel to the United States from 12 other countries, citing national security concerns. The Venezuelan team traveled to Colombia two weeks ago to apply for their visas at the US embassy in Bogotá. The tournament organizers replaced the Venezuelans with the Santa Maria de Aguayo team from Tamaulipas, Mexico, the team that was a runner-up in the Latin American championship. The Senior League Baseball World Series begins Saturday in Easley, South Carolina.
The Cacique Mara team, from Maracaibo, Venezuela, was scheduled to participate in the tournament after winning the Latin American championship in Mexico.
“The Cacique Mara Little League team from Venezuela was unfortunately unable to obtain the appropriate visas to travel to the Senior League Baseball World Series,” Little League International said in a statement, adding that it is “extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes”.
The Venezuelan team traveled to Colombia two weeks ago to apply for their visas at the US embassy in Bogotá.
The embassy did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.
“It is a mockery on the part of Little League to keep us here in Bogotá with the hope that our children can fulfill their dreams of participating in a world championship,” the team said in a statement. “What do we do with so much injustice, what do we do with the pain that was caused to our children?”
Venezuela is among a list of countries with restrictions for entering the US or its territories. US president Donald Trump has banned travel to the United States from 12 other countries, citing national security concerns.
Earlier in the month, the Cuban women’s volleyball team was denied visas to participate in a tournament in Puerto Rico.
“They told us that Venezuela is on a list because Trump says Venezuelans are a threat to the security of his state, of his country,” said Kendrick Gutiérrez, the league’s president in Venezuela. “It hasn’t been easy the situation; we earned the right to represent Latin America in the World Championship.”
The Senior League Baseball World Series, a tournament for players aged 13-16, is played each year in Easley, South Carolina. It begins Saturday.
The tournament organizers replaced the Venezuelans with the Santa Maria de Aguayo team from Tamaulipas, Mexico, the team that was a runner-up in the Latin American championship.
“I think this is the first time this has happened, but it shouldn’t end this way. They’re going to replace us with another team because relations have been severed; it’s not fair,” Gutiérrez added. “I don’t understand why they put Mexico in at the last minute and left Venezuela out.”
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
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Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/25/trump-travel-ban-little-league-00477894