Latest news with #CaciqueMara
New York Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Venezuelan youth baseball team denied travel visas to U.S. for tournament
A Venezuelan youth baseball team will not participate in the Senior League World Series because it was denied travel visas to the U.S., Little League International said Friday. The team, Cacique Mara, reached the championship round of the tournament after winning the Latin America qualifiers in Mexico last month and was scheduled to play Saturday in South Carolina. Instead, the Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League team from Victoria, Mexico, and second-place finisher in the Latin America qualifiers took Cacique Mara's place. Advertisement The Senior League World Series is a tournament for players ages 13-16 organized by Little League International. It is held annually in Easley, S.C., for teams from six U.S. regions and six international regions. The Senior League World Series is for players older than the 10-12-year-olds who participate in the Little League World Series, a more high-profile tournament held in South Williamsport, Pa. Cacique Mara said in a social media post that its players and coaches attended interviews on July 14 for obtaining visas and were denied by a U.S. immigration officer. When Little League International tried to arrange emergency visas for the team, the organization's request was denied, the team said. The State Department said in a statement to The Athletic that it is reviewing the decision to deny entry to Cacique Mara. 'The players are demoralized. All they know how to do is play baseball. They want to go compete and leave the name of Venezuela and Latin America high. They don't represent any threat; they are 15-year-old kids who want to win the World Cup,' Kendry Gutiérrez, president of the Cacique Mara Little League, said in a release. Cacique Mara's visa denial follows President Donald Trump's signing a proclamation in June to ban citizens of 12 countries from entering the U.S. and to partially restrict entry for citizens of seven other countries, including Venezuela, citing national security concerns. At the time, the State Department said Trump's executive order contains exemptions for nationals who would enter the U.S. as athletes for major sporting events, as well as support staff and immediate relatives of athletes. However, there are no such assurances for fans, raising many questions ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Advertisement Cacique Mara isn't the first sports team denied entry for a tournament after Trump's ban. Earlier this month, the Cuban women's national volleyball team had its visa requests denied for the NORCECA Women's Final Four tournament in Puerto Rico, a tournament that awards ranking points toward qualification for the Volleyball Nations League. By missing the tournament in Puerto Rico, the Cuban women's national volleyball team will likely not make the Nations League. Cuba is among the seven countries with restricted entry into the U.S.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Venezuelan Little League team denied U.S. visas, won't take part in senior World Series
A Venezuelan Little League team has been denied U.S. visas, with Little League International announcing that the team will not be able to participate in the 2025 Little League Senior Baseball World Series. Cacique Mara, a team representing Maracaibo, earned its place by winning the Latin American region qualifying tournament in June. That event's runner-up, Santa María de Aguayo from Tamaulipas, Mexico, will replace the Venezuelan team at the Little League Senior Baseball World Series, which began on Saturday, July 26. '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, calling the development 'extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes.' '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 to the Associated Press. 'What do we do with so much injustice, what do we do with the pain that was caused to our children?' The Little League Senior Baseball World Series is a different event than the Little League World Series that takes place in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with the Senior version involving players aged 13-16 and play taking place on a larger field. The Senior Baseball World Series is being held in Easley, South Carolina, from July 26 to Aug. 2. The more well-known Little League World Series, which is for players aged 10-12, is set for Aug. 13-24. President Donald Trump's administration on June 4 listed Venezuela and six other nations as being subject to partial travel restrictions, while 12 more nations were given full-scale travel bans. While Cacique Mara was denied the necessary visas by the U.S. Department of State, teams from Australia, Canada and the Czech Republic will still participate, along with Santa María de Aguayo. The final participants in the International bracket hail from Puerto Rico, which is a territory of the United States. Little League: New Jersey Little Leaguer suspended for bat flip; dad files restraining order The Venezuelan team is the latest example of the sports world colliding with the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and foreign visitors. In June, the Senegalese women's basketball team abandoned plans to hold a training camp in the U.S. after a significant portion of their roster and staff were denied visas. The Cuban women's volleyball team suffered a similar fate weeks ago after being denied visas to participate in the NORCECA Women's Final Four tournament in Puerto Rico. Earlier this month, Brazilian table tennis player Hugo Calderano was unable to participate in a tournament in Las Vegas, reportedly due to a 2023 visit to Cuba for an Olympic qualifying tournament. Athletes, team staff members and relatives were supposedly exempted from the travel ban, with the Haitian national soccer team able to participate in the recently concluded Concacaf Gold Cup. The soccer world has been particularly concerned about travel difficulties, with the Gold Cup and Club World Cup taking place simultaneously this summer. Trump was a visible figure at the Club World Cup final, and one version of that tournament's trophy remains at the White House. The United States is set to host the 2026 men's World Cup next year, and there are unanswered questions about whether every qualified team will be able to participate. Iran, one of the nations subject to an outright travel ban from the Trump administration, sealed its qualification in March. Of the other nations subject to full bans or significant restrictions, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo and Venezuela are all currently still alive in World Cup qualifying.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
US reviewing visa denial for Venezuelan Little League players, State Department says
WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - The United States is reviewing a decision to deny entry to a Venezuelan Little League team that had been due to compete in an international baseball tournament in South Carolina, the State Department said on Saturday. Cacique Mara Little League is now out of contention for this year's 2025 Senior League Baseball World Series, which begins on Saturday in Easley, South Carolina, Little League International said in a statement. The team was unable to obtain the necessary entry visas, a development that was "extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes," the organization said, adding that a Mexican team would compete in its place so that the tournament could go forward. U.S. President Donald Trump last month issued a proclamation barring entry to people from 12 countries and restricting entry by nationals of seven others, including Venezuela. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. The State Department, however, said it was reviewing the matter. "Our consular officers are currently working to review the case to confirm proper procedures were followed and necessary appeals were submitted by the visa applicants," a spokesperson said. In the Latin America region, Cacique Mara had finished with a record of 5-0, according to Little League. The 2025 Senior League Baseball World Series will be held from July 26 to August 2.
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Venezuelan baseball team denied visas into US, Little League International says
A Venezuelan baseball team was denied visas into the United States and will miss this year's Senior Baseball World Series, Little League International confirmed Friday. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. or its territories. President Donald Trump has banned travel to the U.S. 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.'
Reuters
4 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
US denies entry to Venezuelan Little League players, sporting body says
WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - The United States has refused entry to a Venezuelan Little League team that had been due to compete in this year's senior league World Series baseball tournament in South Carolina, according to a statement from Little League International. Cacique Mara Little League was unable to obtain the necessary entry visas, a development that was "extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes," the organization said in a statement. A Mexican team that finished second in a regional tournament will compete in its place so that the tournament may go forward, it added. The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday. U.S. President Donald Trump last month issued a proclamation barring entry to people from 12 countries and restricting entry by nationals of seven others, including Venezuela. In the Latin America region, Cacique Mara had finished with a record of 5-0, according to Little League. The 2025 Senior League Baseball World Series will be held from July 26 to August 2 in Easley, South Carolina.
