Venezuelan Little League team denied entry into US amid Trump travel ban
Little League International called the news 'extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes' in a statement to POLITICO.
A White House spokesperson directed a request for comment to the State Department. Representatives for the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Little League International said the Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League team from Victoria, Mexico, who finished in second place in the Latin America qualifiers behind the Venezuelan team, will replace them.
Kendry Gutiérrez, president of Cacique Mara Little League, said in an interview posted on the team's social media account that the team had traveled to Bogota, Colombia, two weeks in advance of the tournament to try and secure visas.
'This is a sad and regrettable situation,' he said in Spanish during the interview, filmed with the team's players seated behind him. 'They want to have the opportunity to go play.'
Trump signed an executive order earlier this year banning all travel from 12 countries and restricting travel from seven others, including Venezuela. The order carved out an exception for athletes traveling to the U.S. for major sports competitions determined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The State Department's processing of foreign athletes seeking entry into the U.S. will be under heightened scrutiny in the coming years, as the U.S. prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028.
The Venezuelan Little League team isn't the first sports team to be denied entry into the country. The Cuban women's national volleyball team was unable to enter the country for a tournament in Puerto Rico earlier this month. Cuba is also on the list of countries with restricted travel to the U.S.
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