Donald Trump (Photo By Hannah Mckay-Reuters via Imagn Images)
They packed their dreams and gloves, not expecting the game would be over before it began. The Cacique Mara Little League team from Maracaibo, Venezuela, earned their shot at glory after winning the Latin American championship in Mexico.

Just days before the tournament in South Carolina, the U.S. denied the Venezuelan team entry to the Senior League Baseball World Series. On Friday, Little League International confirmed the team couldn’t make the trip. The reason? Visa denial.

Trump’s Ban Blocks Venezuelan Kids

Little League (Photo By Kyle Ross-Imagn Images)
“We’re extremely disappointed, especially for these young athletes,” Little League International said in a statement.

The players, ages 13 to 16, had traveled to Bogota, Colombia, two weeks ago to apply for visas at the U.S. embassy there. They waited. And waited. Then came the crushing blow.

“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 said in a sad statement. “What do we do with so much injustice, what do we do with the pain that was caused to our children?”

The visa issue isn’t random. Venezuela is one of several countries facing strict travel restrictions under a U.S. ban put in place by President Donald Trump back in June. That ban targets 12 nations, including Venezuela, with Trump citing national security concerns.

Kendrick Gutierrez, the league’s president in Venezuela, didn’t hold back. “They told us that Venezuela is on a list because Trump says Venezuelans are a threat to the security of his country,” he said. “We earned the right to represent Latin America in the World Championship. It hasn’t been easy.”

The travel ban has already impacted sports. Cuba’s women’s volleyball team was also denied visas for a Puerto Rico tournament.

Though the White House claims sporting exemptions exist for events like the World Cup or Olympics, the Senior League Baseball World Series didn’t qualify.

Organizers replaced Venezuela with runner-up Santa Maria de Aguayo from Mexico.

Coach Gutierrez called it a “slap in the face,” saying, “They’re going to replace us because relations are severed. It’s not fair.”

For the boys, missing a game is more than losing a game, it’s losing a dream they trained hard to achieve.