DHS mulls reality show for immigrants seeking US citizenship
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed it is in the early stages of vetting a potential reality show that would have immigrants competing for a fast-track to citizenship.
As first reported by the Daily Mail, producer Rob Worsoff, the mind behind “Duck Dynasty,” approached the department about the idea, in which he envisions celebrity immigrant hosts welcoming immigrants who would then undertake competitions across the country, such as digging clams in Maine or rafting in Colorado.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the show “is in the very beginning stages” of a vetting process, noting the department receives numerous requests for participation in television programming.
“Secretary [Kristi] Noem has not ‘backed’ or even reviewed the pitch of any scripted or reality show. The Department of Homeland Security receives hundreds of television show pitches a year,” including documentaries following border agents, she said. “Each proposal undergoes a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval.”
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Worsoff stressed that “this isn’t ‘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 also told the outlet he had pitched the idea as far back as the Obama administration, but the project did not gain traction.
Worsoff, who emigrated from Canada, told the Daily Mail the show would be called “The American,” also the name of the train that would shepherd them around the country for the various competitions.
“I’m not affiliated with any political ideology. As an immigrant myself, I am merely trying to make a show that celebrates the immigration process, celebrate what it means to be American and have a national conversation about what it means to be American, through the eyes of the people who want it most,” he told the Daily Mail.
Under the Trump administration, DHS has been approaching media differently from its predecessors, with Noem shooting a video from a Salvadoran prison warning migrants not to come to the U.S. to spending $200 million on an ad campaign thanking President Trump for his actions at the border.