A team from Venezuela has received approval from the Trump administration to participate in the 2025 Little League World Series, two weeks after a team from the same country was denied entry for a different tournament.
The team from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, the winners of last month's Latin America region tournament, was granted a "national exemption" to enter the country, per The Athletic. The effort reportedly required both the intervention of Sen. David McCormick (R-Penn.) and a personal sign-off from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The team's Instagram account confirmed it was playing over the weekend.
The team's status was in limbo following the denial of a team from Maracaibo, Venezuela to play in the Senior League World Series, a Little League-run tournament for players between 13 and 16 years old. Venezuela is one of seven countries facing a limited ban on entry into the U.S. following an executive order from President Donald Trump.
That order grants exceptions to “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State." However, that leaves Rubio as the arbiter for what constitutes a "major sporting event," leaving uncertainty for any international event looking to take place in the country.
The order specifically carves out an opening for those involved with the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but even that leaves uncertainty based on what is considered a "necessary support role" or "immediate relative."
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras, one of 86 players born in Venezuela to appear in MLB this year, blasted the Senior League team's situation in an interview with The Athletic:
“What pisses me off is they earned the right to be here,” Contreras said of the team that was barred last month. “They are little kids chasing dreams. I put myself in their shoes because I was a kid once, and I dreamed of being in the Little League World Series once.”
In the case of the Little League team, McCormick, a Trump ally on immigration, reportedly worked with the State Department to ensure the Venezuelans were granted entry, via the Athletic:
“I am thrilled my team and I were able to play a small role in making sure young athletes are able to chase their dreams and participate in this timeless Pennsylvania tradition,” McCormick said in a statement to The Athletic.
MLB also reportedly offered help to Little League with the visa process, after months of following the Trump's lead on topics such as reinstating Pete Rose from the ineligible list and eliminating mentions of its diversity programs from its site.
The 2025 Little League World Series is scheduled to take place from Aug. 13-24 in Williamsport, Penn.
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