U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a nuclear cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani (not pictured), at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 16, 2025. (Reuters/Umit Bektas/File)
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A Venezuelan Little League team has been blocked from competing in the Senior League Baseball World Series after being denied U.S. travel visas under President Donald Trump’s travel ban, according to the Daily Beast.
The Cacique Mara Little League team from Maracaibo had traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, two weeks early to apply for visas. Despite their efforts, the 15-year-old players were denied entry.
League president Kendry Gutiérrez said the youth athletes are “demoralized” and simply want “to compete and honor Venezuela and Latin America.”
Little League International called the development “extremely disappointing.” The runner-up team from Victoria, Mexico, will now represent the region in the tournament.
Venezuelan official William Castillo blamed State Secretary Marco Rubio, calling it “an attack on Venezuela.”
Though Trump’s ban includes exceptions for sporting events, those waivers are granted at Rubio’s discretion. A Cuban volleyball team faced similar issues earlier this month.
Late Review Doesn’t Help Team
On Saturday, Reuters reported that a U.S State Department spokesperson said the case was being reviewed “to confirm proper procedures were followed and necessary appeals were submitted by the visa applicants.”
However, that was too little and too late for the team. The tournament began Saturday, July 26, and concludes Saturday, Aug. 2.
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