Venezuelan baseball players inquire about asylum in Spain

By Canadian Press on April 1, 2025.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Members of a baseball team from Venezuela have inquired about requesting asylum in Spain, police said Tuesday.

More than 20 players with the under-23 team presented themselves at a National Police station in Barcelona on Monday to inquire about asylum procedures, police said, confirming details first published by Spain’s El País newspaper.

Some players returned to the station on Tuesday and were seen speaking with officers. One of them declined to comment to The Associated Press.

Baseball is Venezuela’s favorite pastime, and many children see it as a possible way out of poverty. Scouts still travel to Venezuela looking for talent but not as much as they did before the country fell into a political and economic crisis in 2013.

The players appeared to be with Team Guevara, which left Venezuela for exhibition games in Italy and Spain, according to social media posts by team president Julio Guevara. In a March 18 post, Guevara said the team was beginning its “2025 European tour.”

Guevara directed the AP to a TikTok video in which he said the team had been in Italy and Spain showcasing their talent.

El País reported that Guevara returned home with a few players while the rest stayed.

In the video, Guevara said those players were “trying to fight for their permits” to join professional baseball clubs. He did not give details, and it was not clear whether he was referring to visas or asylum applications.

Venezuelans in general have a difficult time traveling unless they have dual citizenship. After crisis-stricken Venezuelans began migrating in search of better living conditions, countries began requiring visas.

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Associated Press writers Renata Brito in Barcelona and Regina García Cano in Caracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report.

Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press

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