Two young baseball players from Nicaragua have been denied entry to the United States, leaving their team shorthanded at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The two players couldn’t make the trip because of what Little League officials described as “individual circumstances regarding visa travel documentation.”
Their absence means Ministerio Sobre Las Alas Del Aguila LL, the team from León representing the Latin America Region, is competing with only 12 players on its roster. Little League World Series participants cannot be older than 12.
Despite losing two teammates before the tournament, Nicaragua opened its campaign Wednesday with a victory over the Dominican Republic.
Little League World Series Addresses the Missing Players
Exactly what prevented the two players from entering the United States remains unclear.
“We work closely with the US Department of State to support our participants and their travel,” Little League said in a statement.
“We are pleased that 12 of our players from Nicaragua were able to obtain the appropriate documentation and understand the disappointment for their two teammates not able to make the trip… no further details are currently available.”
The situation comes amid increased scrutiny of U.S. entry requirements affecting international sporting events during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Nicaragua is not subject to a U.S. travel ban. However, the country was added earlier this year to a list covered by new visa bond requirements.
Under those rules, travelers otherwise eligible for B1/B2 visas may be required to post bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000.
Nicaragua Faces New U.S. Visa Bond Rules
“Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000,” the State Department says. “The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview.”
Athletes and certain members of their delegations received an exemption from that bond requirement for the recent World Cup. The waiver covered “athletes and team members,” including coaches, necessary support personnel and immediate relatives.
The circumstances surrounding the two Nicaraguan Little League players have not been publicly detailed, so there is no indication that the bond requirement itself caused their inability to travel.
The case follows several other visa and entry problems involving international sporting events in the United States.
Other Sporting Events Hit by Entry Problems
During this summer’s soccer World Cup, roughly a dozen members of the Iranian delegation and a Somali referee were among those denied entry.
Little League baseball has encountered similar problems before. Last summer, Little League International confirmed that a Venezuelan team could not secure visas to participate in the Senior Baseball World Series.
Visa complications also affected the World Baseball Classic in March, when eight members of the Cuban delegation could not enter the United States.
For Nicaragua’s Little League team, there was little choice but to begin the tournament without the two missing players. The 12 who reached Williamsport took the field Wednesday and delivered the result they needed, defeating the Dominican Republic while their two teammates still couldn’t join them in Pennsylvania.
