Report: WWE Parent Company TKO Issues Memo In Response To US Government Travel Ban

The President of the United States Donald Trump recently reinstated a travel ban to protect the company from illegal aliens that could commit terror attacks and threaten the national security of the country. Citizens of countries like Haiti, Afghanistan, and the Republic of Congo have been fully suspended from entering the United States, while partial suspensions have been put in place for countries like Venezuela, Cuba, and Sierra Leone as citizens of those countries may still apply for work and creative visas. 

The travel ban prompted TKO to issue an internal memo, which was later shared by POST Wrestling, to the company's staff, where they confirmed that they will be reviewing all of the visas sponsored by TKO companies like WWE and the UFC. TKO hope that only a small amount of athletes and staff, if any at all, will be impacted by President Trump's ban, which comes into affect on June 9. The memo also stated that passport holders from the countries impacted by the ban can still travel to US with a valid visa, but will face heavy questioning upon arrival, and may face difficulty entering the country as a result.

TKO had over 1,300 staff members from 12 different countries on their payroll at the end of 2024, a figure that doesn't include the athletes and performers who work for WWE and the UFC. At the time of writing, WWE has over 230 contracted wrestlers from over 20 countries around the world, while the UFC has over 650 fighters on their roster, with over 70 countries being represented. TKO also noted that more than 20% of WWE's developmental scouting comes from outside the United States, with Haiti, one of the countries impacted by the ban, being one of the countries WWE travels to in order to find new talent.