The Trump administration’s decision to block a team of teenage Venezuelan baseball players from competing in the U.S. was a performative act of cruelty. It’s the kind of stunt the administration wouldn’t dare pull when the U.S. hosts the World Cup next year or the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. With billions of dollars and diplomatic clout on the line, the U.S. wouldn’t arbitrarily deny entry to world-class adult athletes in the most-watched sporting events on the planet. But for competitions like this week’s Senior League Baseball World Series, the stakes are low enough that the administration feels comfortable enough punishing kids who earned their shot. All to reinforce Donald Trump’s authoritarian claim that he alone controls who enters this country.
It’s the kind of stunt the administration wouldn’t dare pull when the U.S. hosts the World Cup or the Olympic Games.
Again, these are kids we’re talking about. Kendrick Gutiérrez, the league’s president in Venezuela, told The Associated Press that the situation “hasn’t been easy,” noting that the team “earned the right to represent Latin America in the World Championship.”
Of course, the Venezuelan baseball visa denial is far from an isolated case. The Trump administration will always seek examples to showcase its cruelty. Just weeks earlier, the Cuban women’s national volleyball team faced a similar fate. They were set to compete in Puerto Rico but were denied visas as well. Cuba’s storied history in international sports didn’t matter. They were not welcome anywhere under U.S. jurisdiction.
If there’s one thing to take from these two cases, it’s that Trump is singling out certain groups under the guise of protecting American security and safety. But the administration’s hypocrisy is on full display. The very rules that stopped Venezuelan kids from playing baseball in South Carolina and Cuban women from playing volleyball in Puerto Rico somehow don’t apply to athletes in leagues and events that generate far more American money.
Take the case of Major League Baseball, which generated $12.1 billion in revenue last year, smashing records. The league depends heavily on foreign talent, with about 28% of active players born outside the U.S. Of that group, there are 63 players of Venezuelan descent and 26 Cubans. Many of these players, including Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman (Cuba), Astros legend José Altuve (Venezuela), and Royals catcher Salvador Pérez (Venezuela), are among the league’s most visible stars, likely the same stars that Venezuelan kids with baseball dreams look up to.
The players’ union has advised foreign-born athletes to keep all their visa and immigration documents on hand at all times, a clear sign of the ongoing uncertainties they face, but Commissioner Rob Manfred has reportedly received personal assurances from U.S. authorities that these players will not be targeted or denied entry. Big money has its protections. Billions and billions of dollars buy you access and safety in this system.
The argument, of course, isn’t that MLB players should be banned like the Venezuelan kids were, but that the Venezuelan kids should be allow to play.
Big money has its protections. Billions and billions of dollars buy you access and safety in this system.
Manfred said the Trump administration had assured MLB that players would be protected going back and forth between Canada and that “Beyond that, it’s all speculation.”
His casual dismissal of concerns as “speculation” perfectly mirrors the administration’s broader disregard for the countless individuals without influence or resources who face harsh immigration realities daily.
Then there’s soccer, the most popular sport on the planet. In a July 1 letter to FIFA, Human Rights Watch and allies cautioned that restrictive policies in the United States risked blocking players, fans and staff from attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup. Human Rights Watch warned that “U.S. immigration policies and enforcement measures pose a serious threat to individuals — particularly noncitizens — traveling to or residing in the United States,” citing “arbitrary denial of entry, detention, and deportation without due process.”
But while some FIFA Club World Cup games reported low attendance, and there were concerns about ICE’s presence at venues, the event delivered on the soccer front. It also generated millions for each of the participating clubs and concluded with over 81,000 spectators at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey for the championship, where Trump even took the stage with the winners, Chelsea FC.
What this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup showed us is that when billions are on the line, the Trump administration bends its immigration rules and enforcement takes a backseat. Players and teams with market value move freely to protect a system that drives revenue and interest. There is no doubt FIFA used its influence to ensure the 2025 tournament did not become immigration chaos. With even more money on the line for the 2026 World Cup or the 2028 Olympics, why would the next few years be any different?
Meanwhile, other athletes, especially from countries like Venezuela or Cuba, without name recognition or lucrative contracts, are left stranded. Trump is clearly prioritizing spectacle and profits over fairness or consistency, using the Venezuelan visa incident as proof that he is tough on restricting entry.
Unlike players in FIFA or MLB, these kids lack power and influence, so it’s much easier to categorize them with a broad “terrorist state” brush. There is little resistance, and the games will continue without them. This selective enforcement sends a clear message about who matters and who doesn’t. That’s the real cruelty here.
