- The Department of Homeland Security is reportedly considering a reality TV show where immigrants would compete against one another for American citizenship.
- Producer Rob Worsoff has defended his idea, saying it's not going to be "The Hunger Games" for immigrants, but rather a celebration of America.
- The show wouldn't deport immigrants who failed, but it would provide an easier path to citizenship for immigrants who succeeded.
In what federal officials say is an attempt to revive civic spirit, the Department of Homeland Security is considering launching a television show that would see immigrants compete for American citizenship.
“The pitch generally was a celebration of being an American and what a privilege it is to be able to be a citizen of the United States of America,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS spokeswoman.
Film producer and Canadian emigrant Rob Worsoff, who pitched the idea to DHS, has tentatively branded his project “The American.”
After receiving backlash, he defended his idea in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, saying it isn’t meant to be “The Hunger Games” for immigrants.
“This is not, ‘Hey, if you lose, we are shipping you out on a boat out of the country,’” he said. Immigrants who lost would not be instantly deported.
What would the show look like?
Worsoff’s pitch is a 36-page outline of what the show would look like, with an elevator pitch attached:
“Contestants will represent a wide demographic of ages, ethnicities, and talents. We’ll join in the laughter, tears, frustration and joy — hearing their backstories — as we are reminded of how amazing it is to be American, through the eyes of 12 wonderful people who want nothing more than to have what we have — and what we often take for granted: the freedom, opportunity and honor of what it means to be American.”
The reality show would consist of hourlong episodes, according to reporting by CNN. Every season, contestants would sail up to Ellis Island, where an emigrant celebrity host would meet them.
Episodes would feature challenges set in different cities. One proposed episode would see immigrants compete in a “gold rush” in San Francisco, where contestants would go into a mine and try to retrieve the most gold. In another, contestants enter an automobile factory in Detroit and try to assemble a car chassis.
Producers say that such challenges are meant to emphasize American history and “how cool America is.”
Contestants would travel by train. At the conclusion of each episode, immigrants would take a “Survivor”-style vote on who should be eliminated. The seat of the voted-out contestant would be removed.
Could the show actually happen?
DHS has received countless television show pitches over the years, including documentaries, reality TV and inspired fiction shows. They’ve also already partnered with some shows — including ”To Catch a Smuggler,” which aired on National Geographic until 2023.
DHS has exhibited some showmanship under President Donald Trump, including earmarking hundreds of thousands of dollars on domestic and foreign advertisements telling migrants living in the country illegally to deport themselves.
The advertisements feature Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. They received backlash from viewers within and outside of America, including from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, whose government called the advertisement discriminatory and said it “places human dignity in jeopardy.”
On the proposed reality show, DHS officially says that “the show in question is in the very beginning stages of that vetting process and has not received approval or denial by staff.” Also, Noem has reportedly not been part of any conversations around “The American” yet.