Overview

• The Cacique Mara team from Maracaibo was denied travel visas at the U.S. embassy in Bogotá on July 25 under President Trump’s June travel restrictions
• Little League International advanced the Latin America runner-up, Santa María de Aguayo of Tamaulipas, Mexico, to preserve regional representation in the tournament
• U.S. consular officers have launched a review to ensure the visa applicants received all standard procedural steps and appeal opportunities
• Players and coaches lamented the decision as a crushing setback after the Venezuelan squad swept its regional championship with a 5-0 record
• The case underscores growing tensions between national security–driven visa policies and international youth sports, following similar denials for Cuban volleyball and Senegalese basketball teams