{"id":24838,"date":"2025-07-26T06:03:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T06:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/24838\/"},"modified":"2025-07-26T06:03:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T06:03:08","slug":"demoralized-little-league-team-shut-out-of-world-series-by-trumps-travel-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/24838\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Demoralized\u2019 Little League Team Shut Out of World Series by Trump\u2019s Travel Ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Venezuelan Little League baseball team has been caught up in President Donald Trump\u2019s travel ban and will be unable to compete in the World Series after being denied travel visas to the U.S.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"LakeLake Maracaibo in Maracaibo, Venezuela. FEDERICO PARRA\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

In an interview posted to social media, the president of Cacique Mara Little League explained that despite traveling to Bogot\u00e1, 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<\/a> to the U.S. under Trump\u2019s travel ban.<\/p>\n

League president Kendry Guti\u00e9rrez said<\/a> of the decision, \u201cThe players are demoralized. All they know how to do is play baseball. They want to compete and honor Venezuela and Latin America. They don\u2019t pose any threat; they\u2019re 15-year-old kids who want to win the World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little League International told Politico<\/a> that the news was \u201cextremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes.\u201d The Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League team from Victoria, Mexico, who came second in the qualifiers, will replace the Venezuelan team.<\/p>\n

Venezuela\u2019s Deputy Minister of Anti-Blockade Policies William Castillo responded to the news by calling out State Secretary Marco Rubio by name, telling viewers<\/a> of his Laiguana.tv program, \u201cMr. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

#21Jul<\/a> | La Liga Peque\u00f1a Cacique Mara denunci\u00f3 que el gobierno de Estados Unidos neg\u00f3 el #20Jul<\/a> la visa a los peloteros venezolanos que representar\u00edan a Latinoam\u00e9rica en el Mundial Senior de Peque\u00f1as Ligas, que se realizar\u00e1 entre el #26Jul<\/a> y el #2Ago<\/a> en Carolina del Sur, Estados\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/iVku52tr9z<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 El Diario (@eldiario) July 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThey decided to deny them visas on instructions from the State Department. This is an attack on Venezuela, this is a restrictive measure,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

While Trump\u2019s travel ban allows for exceptions for athletes traveling for major sporting competitions\u2014a 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.\u2014these exceptions are at Rubio\u2019s discretion.<\/p>\n

The Cuban women\u2019s national volleyball team became the first sports team caught up in Trump\u2019s travel ban after they were denied visas to compete at a tournament in Puerto Rico earlier this month<\/a>.<\/p>\n