Venezuelan Little League Team Denied US Visas, Misses World Series

A Little League baseball team from Maracaibo, Venezuela, has been denied entry visas to the United States, thwarting their hopes of competing in the Senior League World Series in South Carolina. This announcement came from officials on Friday.

Little League International confirmed that the Cacique Mara team was unable to “obtain the appropriate visas” after their recent trip to Colombia two weeks prior. The team had anticipated showcasing their skills in Easley, following their triumph at the Latin American Little League championship held in Mexico on June 16.

In a show of support, Senior League Baseball celebrated the Venezuelan team's victory with a social media post, stating, “See you all in 40 days for the first pitch!” However, the excitement quickly turned to frustration as Cacique Mara expressed their discontent with Little League officials over the visa situation.

“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 lamented in a statement. “What do we do with such injustice, what do we do with the pain that was caused to our children?”

The reasons behind the visa denial remain unclear. Recently, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Venezuelan opposition leaders who challenge President Nicolas Maduro's regime, which Rubio has labeled as “illegitimate.”

In light of this development, Little League International announced that Cacique Mara would be replaced by Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League from Victoria, Mexico, the second-place team from the Latin American region.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration implemented partial travel bans affecting seven countries, including Venezuela, citing national security concerns. “We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm, and nothing will stop us from keeping America safe,” President Trump stated in a video posted on June 4.

Cuba, which is also included in the new travel restrictions, has previously participated in the Little League World Series but did not qualify for either the Senior or Little World Series tournaments this year.

The Senior League World Series is scheduled to take place from July 26 through August 2. As of now, the US State Department has not provided any comments regarding this situation.