Kristi Noem Wants Migrants to Compete for Citizenship on New Reality Show
A Homeland Security official told the Daily Beast that the show is in the early stages of vetting, though approval has not been given—or denied.
Kristi Noem reportedly wants the U.S. citizenship process to play out in front of the cameras.
The Department of Homeland Security has been working with writer and producer Rob Worsoff to pitch a reality TV show—titled
The American—where immigrants will compete in a string of challenges across the country “for the honor of fast-tracking their way to U.S. citizenship,” according to the
Daily Mail.
Citing a copy of Worsoff’s 35-page program pitch, the
Daily Mail reported that the Canadian-born producer aims to “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.” Worsoff is best known for producing the A&E reality show
Duck Dynasty.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Beast that the show’s concept is under consideration, though she denied that Noem had reviewed the pitch in question. The concept is “in the very beginning stages” of the vetting process, she added, and approval has not been given—or denied.
“The Department of Homeland Security receives hundreds of television show pitches a year,” she said in a statement. “Each proposal undergoes a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval.”
McLaughlin denied Noem’s involvement in the project, though unnamed sources told the
Daily Mail that the Homeland Security secretary supports it and wants it to proceed.
The Daily Beast has also reached out to Worsoff’s representatives for comment.
The program pitch reportedly starts with 12 pre-vetted contestants arriving at Ellis Island in New York City aboard “The Citizen Ship.” The show’s host—preferably a “famous, naturalized American” like Colombian Sofia Vergara or Canadian Ryan Reynolds—will welcome them with a personalized baseball glove.
Contestants would then travel from state to state aboard a train called “The American” to learn about each region’s history and culture and compete in themed contests, ranging from balancing on logs in Hayward, Wisconsin, to building and launching a rocket in Florida’s Cape Canaveral, which houses a major NASA hub.
Officials from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are reportedly being eyed to tally votes.
“We’ll join in the laughter, tears, frustration, and joy—hearing their backstories—as we are reminded how amazing it is to be American,” the pitch reads.
The losing contestants will go home with “iconically American” prizes, including a million American Airlines points, a $10,000 Starbucks gift card, and a lifetime supply of 76 gasoline. They will also have a leg up as they undergo the traditional citizenship process.
The big winner, meanwhile, will get sworn in as an American citizen on Capitol Hill by “a top American politician or judge.”
“There won’t be a dry eye within 10 miles,” the pitch reads.
During a Wednesday budget hearing, Noem was trolled by lawmakers over her “many photo ops and costume changes,” which have earned her the nickname “ICE Barbie.”
Noem has cosplayed as a firefighter, an immigration agent, and a helicopter pilot in her trips around the country to oversee the implementation of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
But the Homeland Security secretary has remained unfazed by the criticism: “Every day I wake up and there’s new criticisms,” she told
Fox News last month. “It’s something different every single day, so I try not to pay attention to the noise.”
