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New Trump 'travel ban' update
A new travel ban has been ordered by the Trump administration, banning immigration from certain countries across the world, with the administration citing "security concerns."
A Venezuelan baseball team who qualified for the Little League Senior Baseball World Series will miss the event because the U.S. denied their visas.
The Cacique Mara team, from Maracaibo, Venezuela, was scheduled to participate in the tournament after winning the Latin American championship in Mexico. The players are teenagers, between 13 and 16 years old.
Baseball team denied visas
What we know:
The Venezuelan team traveled to Colombia two weeks ago to apply for their visas at the U.S. embassy in Bogotá.
FILE - A general view of signage before the Little League World Series Championship Game between the Asia-Pacific Region team from Taoyuan Ciy, Chinese Taipei and the Southeast Region team from Lake Mary, Florida at Howard J. Lamade Stadium on August …
Earlier this month, the Cuban women’s volleyball team was denied visas to participate in a tournament in Puerto Rico.
What we don't know:
It’s unclear exactly why the visas were denied, though Venezuela is among a list of countries with restrictions for entering the U.S. or its territories. President Donald Trump has banned travel to the U.S. from 12 other countries, citing national security concerns.
RELATED: Trump considers adding 36 countries to travel ban
The embassy did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment
What they're saying:
In a statement, Little League International called the move "extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes."
"It is a mockery on the part of Little League to keep us here in Bogotá with the hope that our children can fulfill their dreams of participating in a world championship," the team said in a statement. "What do we do with so much injustice, what do we do with the pain that was caused to our children?"
"They told us that Venezuela is on a list because Trump says Venezuelans are a threat to the security of his state, of his country," said Kendrick Gutiérrez, the league’s president in Venezuela. "It hasn’t been easy the situation; we earned the right to represent Latin America in the World Championship."
What is the Senior League Baseball World Series?
The backstory:
The Senior League Baseball World Series, a tournament for players aged 13-16, is played each year in Easley, South Carolina. It begins Saturday.
What's next:
The tournament organizers replaced the Venezuelans with the Santa Maria de Aguayo team from Tamaulipas, Mexico, the team that was a runner-up in the Latin American championship.
"I think this is the first time this has happened, but it shouldn’t end this way. They’re going to replace us with another team because relations have been severed; it’s not fair," Gutiérrez added. "I don’t understand why they put Mexico in at the last minute and left Venezuela out."
The Source: This report includes information from The Associated Press.