This story is part of production for an episode of “Colorado Experience” about the impact of baseball on different communities across the state. The episode is slated to air in the fall from Rocky Mountain PBS.
A sunny Saturday at Sloan’s Lake brings out all types of Denverites — cyclists, dog walkers, yogis and a group of nearly 50 smiling kids wearing baseball caps embroidered with Venezuelan flags.
This group of five-to-nine-year-old ballplayers is learning to throw, catch, bat and have fun. Playing baseball with this team is a refuge for them as they navigate life in America and their fears of deportation after spending months traveling and risking their lives to get here.
“We crossed 10 countries to get here, sometimes walking, sometimes sleeping on the streets, sometimes without food,” said Edgar Ramos in Spanish.
Ramos is the team’s coach. He is a Venezuelan immigrant seeking asylum in the United States. He arrived in Denver in December 2023.
“Once we decided to emigrate here, to the United States, we thought about Colorado because we had heard a lot about how the people were very, very good and they helped you,” said Ramos.
So far Ramos feels like that impression he had of Colorado has proven to be true. However, the current state of politics in the United States makes him more nervous. Ramos said he knows of at least two of the players’ parents who were deported recently as part of President Donald Trump’s aggressive and controversial mass deportation plan.
“We carry a bit of fear that we're going to get caught in a raid or something,” said Ramos.
Venezuela remains one of the globe’s largest origins of migrants since the rise of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in 2018. His authoritarian rule has left the country in an economic and political crisis.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are 7.9 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants worldwide as of December 2024. Approximately 800,000 of those migrants came to the United States in the last few years under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Two TPS orders for Venezuelans, one in 2021 and one in 2023, have allowed for many to seek refuge in the U.S. The 2021 order ends protected status in September this year.
In February, the Trump administration announced the 2023 designation would end in April, but a U.S. district court judge ordered a pause on those plans. Now, the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue.
About 45,000 Venezuelan migrants have arrived in Denver since 2022. During President Trump’s campaign stop in Aurora in the fall of 2024, he amplified claims surrounding a notorious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. He has since argued the gang is invading the country and invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law that allows the president to deport noncitizens during wartime.
“I don't agree with people who are doing wrong. If someone is doing wrong, it's logical that you have to apply the law. But there are many, many of us who came to this country to do good,” said Ramos.
For Ramos, “good” comes in the form of coaching baseball. He knows he can make an impact greater than just teaching the boys how to field a ground ball.
“Above all I want to teach them to be good people, as well as athletes,” said Ramos. “I know there's no one who's more grateful or appreciative of someone than a kid is of a coach, right?
I still remember my first coach, and we are always in touch.”
Last year, after finding some stability in the form of a hotel shelter, he couldn’t help but look around at all the kids living there, too.
“You could see their faces … They were bored. I mean, I saw them, they were sad,” said Ramos.
So he decided to lean on a sport that has been with him his whole life and was a huge part of life in Venezuela — baseball.
“To say baseball is to say Venezuela and to say Venezuela is to say baseball,” said Ramos. “Practically when you're born, the first thing you're given is a glove, a bat and a ball.”
As of Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, more than 63 players from Venezuela are on a major league roster, trailing only the Dominican Republic (100) among countries outside the United States.
Ramos decided to do what he could to bring the sport to these kids’ lives in Colorado. After posting about his plans on social media, Denver community members brought him balls, gloves and other equipment, and Ramos started to tell every parent he knew.
“I would go to the room, knock on the door, talk to the parents and say, ‘Look, take them to the field at 3:00 p.m., I'm going to give them training,’” said Ramos.
Last year, Ramos pulled together a group of about 15 players. With help from two local teenage baseball players, the community raised enough money for equipment and registration for the Team Venezuela in Altitude All Sports’ Lil’ Bombers League. And the team showed up.
“We beat every team, won every game by more than 20 runs, 30 runs,” Ramos said.
On top of that, Team Venezuela went on to win the championship.
Ramos’ team was unable to register for the league this spring. Gabe Hurley of Altitude All Sports said language barriers and timing when Ramos reached out to sign up prevented the team from registering in time. Hurley said he would love to welcome the team back to the league for the fall.
Meanwhile, the number of kids participating in Team Venezuela’s practices has quadrupled.
On Saturday afternoons at Sloan’s Lake, 46 kids under the age of 12 come to practice. On Sundays, Ramos coaches 16 more players that are ages 12 and up. Some of the players have never played. Others have been playing for years, like 12-year-old Sebastian.
“I like it because it's a fun sport where lots of people can have fun and have a good time,” said Sebastian.
He has been playing baseball for five years, but only for a few months in Colorado. He immigrated to the U.S. from Venezuela in December 2023 with his parents, sister and grandmother. Sebastian hopes to become a professional baseball player one day to provide for his family.
“Because they’ve helped me with many things and I want to help them too,” he said.
Sebastian isn’t alone in those feelings. Several young boys said they plan to be professional ballplayers and several mentioned Venezuelan legend Miguel Cabrera as their favorite player and inspiration.
For parents looking on during practice, they’re happy to see their kids happy.
“It’s truly exciting. Watching him have fun. He learns more every day. It is exciting,” said Evelyn Calma, whose son practices with Ramos.
Ramos hopes to continue to grow the team and in turn needs more equipment for the kids who often show up without shoes or a uniform. He also hopes they will be able to find a league to play in again and give the kids a chance to be happy.
“Because the times they play, you can see their happiness,” said Ramos. “As the parents say, baseball is a way to distract themselves, to relax more from everything they've lived through to get here.”