Major League Baseball faces crisis as Trump’s travel ban threatens Cuban and Venezuelan players

Some foreign Major League Baseball players could be impacted by the Trump administration’s potential travel bans, which would affect over 40 countries and would implement an absolute ban on travel to the United States from both Cuba and Venezuela. Immigration lawyers warn that this could disrupt MLB teams, especially those with younger or minor league players, and even some coaches, who could face significant travel challenges.

What is Trump’s travel ban?

President Donald Trump ordered his administration to establish a vetting and screening procedure for entry into the U.S. and submit a list of countries that do not meet them by March 21 (today). The affected countries would be divided in three categories - full visa suspension, partial visa suspension, and probationary period.

• Full Visa Suspension: Complete suspension of U.S. visa - Citizens with these visas would not be allowed to travel to the U.S. for any purpose, including tourism, business, and study.
• Partial Visa Suspension: Partial suspensions could be given, which would affect tourist, student, and other immigrant visas with some exceptions.
• Probationary Period: These countries would be given 60 days to address perceived deficiencies in their security and vetting processes and if improvements aren’t made, they could receive a partial suspension.

Full list of countries being considered for a travel ban and to which category they belong

Which MLB players could be affected by Trump’s travel ban and why

Cuba and Venezuela are both on the list of countries being considered for a full ban, meaning citizens from those countries would bot be allowed to enter the U.S. for any reason. This could majorly affect MLB (as well as minor league) players from those countries, particularly those with P-1 visas. The P-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa given to internationally recognized athletes and entertainers.

Without a special exemption, Cuban and Venezuelan players would have a hard time returning to the U.S. after games in Canada against the Toronto Blue Jays or after playing in winter leagues in Mexico, Venezuela, or the Dominican Republic, which could prevent them from playing at all in certain games or international events.

Baseball kicked off with the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers with MLB’s Tokyo series in Japan this week, but the official Opening Day is next Thursday. The MLB players who could be affected by the ban are already with their teams in the U.S., but those with P-1 visas from the countries with harshest restrictions could face issues if they were to leave.

It’s not clear exactly how many MLB players the travel ban could affect, but according to Amy Maldonado, an immigration lawyer in Michigan who handles baseball players' visas, it would mainly affect younger players and those in minor leagues. Typically, major foreign stars will qualify for salary arbitration and receive a green card. But the ban could also affect coaches, staff members, scouts, as well as drafted and signed players not yet in the United States.

Potentially, the Trump administration could give an exemption from the total travel ban to athletes and entertainers, though it’s not yet clear. A State Department spokesperson said they are currently reviewing all visa programs.

Cuban and Venezuelan players have become crucial to MLB’s talent pool in recent years, helping diversify the league as the number of Black American players has declined. On Opening Day 2024, there were 58 players from Venezuela and 18 players from Cuba, according to MLB. That total does not include the minor league. The 2023 MVP award winner was Venezuelan-born Ronald Acuña Jr.

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