A Venezuelan Little League baseball crew will miss the Senior Baseball World Collection held in South Carolina after it was was denied entry into the U.S. as a result of the gamers had been unable to acquire visas.
Cacique Mara Little League crew, from Maracaibo, Venezuela, certified for the World Collection after successful the Latin American championship in Mexico, however will be unable to compete in Easley, S.C. as a result of they had been unable to “acquire the suitable visas” to journey, in response to Little League Worldwide.
Little League Worldwide mentioned in a press release to The Hill that whereas that is “extraordinarily disappointing, particularly to those younger athletes,” the match committee has determined to advance the second-place crew from the Latin American championship, Santa María de Aguayo from Tamaulipas, Mexico.
The league mentioned the alternative will make sure the “Latin America Area is represented within the match and that the gamers, coaches and households from Mexico are capable of have a memorable World Collection expertise.”
A senior State Division official advised The Hill on Saturday that U.S. consular officers are at present “working to overview the case to verify correct procedures had been adopted and crucial appeals had been submitted by the visa candidates.”
Venezuela is on President Trump’s list of countries the place the entry of their nationals is partially restricted or restricted. Six different nations — Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo and Turkmenistan — are additionally included.
In early June, Trump additionally absolutely restricted the entry of nationals from 12 nations: Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The administration pointed to nationwide safety issues when asserting the journey restrictions.
The Venezuelan baseball crew went to Colombia two weeks in the past to use for journey visas, according to The Related Press (AP).
“It’s a mockery on the a part of Little League to maintain us right here in Bogotá with the hope that our youngsters can fulfill their desires of taking part in a world championship,” the baseball crew mentioned in a press release, in response to the AP. “What will we do with a lot injustice, what will we do with the ache that was prompted to our youngsters.”