Reality TV show where immigrants compete for US citizenship soon? New reports say Trump officials in talks

The US Department of Homeland Security is reportedly weighing a pitch for a television reality show in which immigrants would compete for a chance to win citizenship in the United States.

Department spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the Wall Street Journal that the show is “in the very beginning stages of the vetting process.”

It is “in the very beginning stages of that vetting process,” she said, adding, “Each proposal undergoes a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval.”

According to the reports, Duck Dynasty producer Rob Worsoff is responsible for the pitch, and he reportedly presented it to both the Obama and Biden administrations before reaching out to President Donald Trump's team.

'This isn’t The Hunger Games '

Worsoff, who emigrated from Canada, reportedly said the show is meant to be hopeful and a celebration of what it means to be an American citizen.

“This isn’t ‘The Hunger Games’ for immigrants,” Worsoff was quoted by the WSJ as saying.

What's the show about?

Immigrants already in the system would compete in various contests, including potentially on American history and science.

In a 36-page slide deck reviewed by the Journal, Worsoff’s team outlined a reality-style TV show where, in one-hour episodes, immigrants compete to prove they are the most American.

According to the Daily Mail, the proposed series is called The American, named after the train that contestants would ride around the country, competing in regionally specific 'cultural' contests such as rolling logs in Wisconsin.

It would lead to a grand finale with the winner getting sworn in on the steps of the US Capitol.

Worsoff said, ‘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.’

Worsoff stressed that losing contestants wouldn’t face deportation. “This is not, ‘Hey, if you lose, we are shipping you out on a boat out of the country,’” he said.

The development comes as Trump's administration has faced intense scrutiny for its handling of immigrants in recent months. On January 20, just after being sworn in for a second term, President Donald Trump suspended the asylum system as part of his wide-ranging crackdown on illegal immigration, issuing a series of executive orders designed to stop what he called the “invasion” of the United States.