Venezuela’s Cacique Mara Little League team will not participate in the Senior Little League World Series due to a denied travel visa to the United States. This team, hailing from Maracaibo, had earned its spot in the tournament by winning the Latin American championship held in Mexico.
Unfortunately, Venezuela is on the list of countries facing entry restrictions into the U.S. President Donald Trump has enforced a travel ban affecting individuals from 12 different nations, citing concerns about national security.
The Senior League Baseball World Series, aimed at players aged 13 to 16, is set to take place in Easley, South Carolina, starting Saturday. A statement from Little League International illuminates the situation: “The Cacique Mara Little League team in Venezuela unfortunately failed to obtain the proper visa for traveling to the Senior League Baseball World Series. This is a very unfortunate thing, especially for these young athletes.”
The team expressed their disappointment further, stating, “It’s Little League that keeps us here in Bogotá, hoping our kids can fulfill their dreams of participating in the World Championships. What do we do with so much injustice, and how do we address the pain caused to our children?”
In light of the Venezuelan team’s travel issues, organizers have replaced them with the Santa Maria de Aguayo team from Tamaulipas, Mexico, which was the runner-up in the Latin American Championship.
To facilitate their visa application, the Venezuelan team had traveled to Colombia two weeks prior, trying their luck at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá. As of now, the White House has not offered any comment on the matter.
