Should Visas be Available for Cubans to Play Baseball in the U.S.? (H.R. 573)

What is H.R. 573?

(Updated July 22, 2021)

This bill would waive certain foreign assistance, travel, and trade prohibitions against Cuba for Cuban nationals who enter the U.S. on a visa to play professional baseball and return to Cuba with their earnings. The visa would only be valid for the duration of the baseball season, wouldn’t have to be renewed as long as the player remains with the same team.

The President would be prohibited from denying visas to these Cuban nationals under authorities that allow for entry restrictions to be applied to certain classes of foreign nationals that could be determined to be detrimental to U.S. interests.

This legislation would not be affected by the economic embargo requirements against Cuba under the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996.

Argument in favor

There are already Cuban nationals playing professional baseball in the U.S. — this bill would simply allow them to do so through normal processes without having to defect.

Argument opposed

Baseball players shouldn’t be exempt from travel prohibitions that apply to the Cuban public. Either all Cubans should be eligible for visas or none should.

Impact

Cuban baseball players, professional baseball franchises, and the President.

Cost of H.R. 573

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: In the summer of 2015, President Barack Obama announced that official diplomatic relations with Cuba would be reinstated — leading to speculation that the travel ban and trade embargo would be lifted entirely as sanctions are eased.

During the last session of Congress, this legislation had 14 cosponsors in the House, all of whom were Democrats.

Of Note: Baseball is an immensely popular sport in Cuba, and the allure of playing in the world’s best professional baseball league has led many Cuban baseball players to come to America in the hopes of making a Major League Baseball roster.

On the MLB’s 2015 opening day, 18 of the 868 total players on MLB rosters were Cuban, or about 2 percent. Most of these players had to defect and abandon their lives in Cuba to pursue their careers in the U.S. Typically these players are able to sign as free agents or enter the MLB draft if they successfully defect, but the process of defecting is complicated and sometimes dangerous.

In 2014, there were five Cubans who were selected for the MLB All-Star Game, and there are two Cubans participating in the 2015 World Series — Kendrys Morales from the Kansas City Royals and Yoenis Cespedes from the New York Mets.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. José Serrano (D-NY) Press Release (Previous Version)
• The Bronx Chronicle (Previous Version)

Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user Keith Ellison)