New Delhi: Survivor’s grit, Bigg Boss’s surveillance and drama, and The Hunger Games’ ruthless competition—all rolled into one. Multiple reports in the American media have indicated that immigrants may have to take a most unconventional route to US citizenship, taking part in a reality show.
US Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was reported on 15 May to have been in talks with a TV producer as well as streaming platforms like Netflix over a reality television pitch called The American—a show centred on immigration and US citizenship.
The show’s pitch, first reported by the Daily Mail, outlines a competitive format where immigrants or contestants would undertake “heritage-based” challenges across the United States. Noem, during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on 20 May, denied any “knowledge of it,” adding that “there are no plans whatsoever to do a reality show”.
But this was in direct contrast to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin’s acknowledgement just a few days earlier, on 16 May, that such a proposal does indeed exist and is under review.
Media reports suggest that Canadian writer and producer Rob Worsoff in a 35-page pitch had outlined his idea for the show—contestants from different countries would arrive in a “citizenship,” and then board a train called The American. Along the way, they would learn about each region’s history and compete in heritage-based challenges. The grand finale, as reported by the Daily Mail, would involve the winner being sworn in as a US citizen by a top American politician or judge on the steps of the Capitol.
Worsoff reportedly pitched the idea to DHS officials during the Obama and Biden administrations, though it was never officially endorsed.
According to The Wall Street Journal, he is now in the early stages of vetting and in preliminary discussions with various networks.
Reality television has been a significant part of Donald Trump’s media legacy. In its debut season (2003-2004) The Apprentice, a reality show that tested aspiring entrepreneurs and had Trump deliver his now-iconic catchphrase, “You’re fired,” averaged 20.7 million viewers per episode, with its finale drawing more than 28 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched episodes of the season. The show ran for 15 seasons, greatly contributed to Trump’s national visibility, and spurned many spinoffs.
But in 2015, NBC terminated the contract with Trump over remarks he made about Mexican immigrants during his presidential campaign.
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‘What it takes to become American’
In the 35-page slide of the show deck reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, immigrants would be asked to prove their worth to become American through a series of region-themed challenges like gold panning from river soil in San Francisco to the water sport of rolling wooden logs in Wisconsin and reassembling a Ford Model T, one of the earliest mass-produced American cars, in Detroit.
“Along the way, we will be reminded what it means to be American—through the eyes of the people who want it most,” reads Worsoff’s pitch. The tasks, designed to reflect American heritage, are notably more elaborate than anything required of most citizens.
Yet, within the show’s format, they become symbolic trials to determine who most deserves the so-called American Dream.
The proposed prize package also includes a million American Airlines miles, a $10,000 Starbucks gift card, a lifetime supply of free gasoline, and a naturalisation ceremony.
The pitch has drawn controversy for making light of the plight of immigrants in the US amid uncertainty over everything from birthright citizenship to student visas.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has pushed to revoke protections for citizens of countries including Haiti, Afghanistan and Venezuela. The effort headed by DHS has been seen to involve widespread ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) activity, from immigration raids and arrests to deportations to a third country, notably El Salvador.
The United States already runs the Diversity Visa Lottery, which grants up to 55,000 green cards through a luck-based system each year.
The American repackages this into prime-time drama, replacing bureaucracy with “heritage challenges”. Versions of this spectacle have emerged across the globe, like Australia’s televised immigration enforcement show Border Security, which turns real-life deportations into reality TV. It’s not celebratory like The American, but it frames migration as a national theatre. With American citizenship at stake, the pitch has begun to draw considerable attention to it and the Trump administration.
(Edited by Kartikay Chaturvedi)
Aleeza Ahmed and Kartikay Chaturvedi are interns with ThePrint
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Illegal immigration is absolutely unacceptable. If one wishes to be a citizen of another country, there is a clearly laid out legal process for that. Anyone trying idiotic shortcuts such as jumping the fence and crossing over illegally onto another nation must be prosecuted and deported at the earliest.
Kudos to President Trump and his team for sticking to their electoral promises. This is a rare instance of a politician keeping his promises to the people.