Current immigration and visa policies are supposedly designed to keep out people attempting to enter the country with no documents. HOWEVER, that is NOT what is going on in reality.
In the latest incident, eight members of the Cuban baseball team have been DENIED entry into the United States for participation in the upcoming World Baseball Classic set to open next week.
San Juan, Puerto Rico – a U.S. territory whose residents are U.S. citizens – is set to host one of the pools for the World Baseball Classic set to begin March 5. Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama, Canada, and Cuba are all set to play; however the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation has reported that eight members of the Cuban delegation have been denied visas to travel to Puerto Rico for the games.
While no Cuban players were denied a visa; FCBS president Juan Reinaldo Perez Pardo, general secretary Carlos del Pino Munoz, and pitching coach Pedro Luis Lazo are among those who were denied a visa.
Citing privacy laws, the U.S. federal government has refused any comments; but via a statement the FCBS said, “the United States’ response, after more than a month since these requests were submitted, ignores the reasons on which they are based, the most basic principles of sport, and the commitments assumed by the host countries of such events.”
Prior to the opening of the World Baseball Classic, the Cuban team is scheduled to play exhibition games against the Kansas City Royals and the Cincinnati Reds.
Under current White House mandate, Cuba is on the list of countries with travel restrictions; along with Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. However, a exception supposedly exists to exempt sports teams and players.
The Cacique Mara team from Maracaibo, Venezuela was supposed to play in the Senior Baseball World Series last year but was denied visas and did not get to participate in the tournament.