DHS secretary denies plans to make immigrants compete on TV for citizenship
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has denied claims that the federal government is considering a reality TV show where immigrants would compete for U.S.citizenship. During her testimony before the Senate Homeland Security Committee,Noem stated,”There are no plans whatsoever to do a reality show,” despite inquiries from Senator Richard Blumenthal,who referenced media reports suggesting otherwise. Noem clarified that while there may have been a pitch submitted to the Department of Homeland Security, she and her team were unaware of any such project until contacted by the media.
The proposed show, titled “The American,” would have contestants traveling across the country participating in various challenges, with the ultimate prize being naturalization as a U.S. citizen. the idea, previously reported to involve employees from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as judges and notable entertainment figures behind the scenes,faced criticism for perhaps treating a serious process like a competition.Noem has strongly refuted any suggestion that the Department is pursuing this concept and described the related media reports as inaccurate.
Noem denies plans to put immigrants through reality TV show
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem denied reports that the federal government is considering a reality TV show pitch where immigrants would compete to become naturalized U.S. citizens.
Noem testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday and said, “There are no plans whatsoever to do a reality show.” However, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) pushed her as to why her spokesperson told the media otherwise.
“Is DHS seriously vetting a reality show for immigrants to obtain US citizenship? Your spokesperson is quoted in the Wall Street Journal … saying that, ‘It’s in the very beginning stages of that vetting process. Each proposal undergoes a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval,’” Blumenthal said.
“Sir, we have no knowledge of a reality show. There may have been something submitted to the department, but I did not know anything about this until the reporter reached out. We told him we have no knowledge of it. We don’t know what he’s talking about. They still printed wrong information,” Noem said.
“There may have been something submitted somewhere along the line because there are proposals pitched to the department, but me and my executive team had no knowledge of a reality show,” Noem added.
A 35-page show pitch obtained by the Daily Mail in mid-May said Rob Worsoff, the writer and producer behind A&E reality show Duck Dynasty, proposed a series called The American. Noem reportedly suggested that employees from the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services serve as judges on the show.
Contestants would travel around the country by train and stop for regional challenges, such as building and launching a rocket in Cape Canaveral, Florida, balancing on logs in Wisconsin, and collecting gold in a San Francisco mine.
In the final episode, the winner would be sworn in as a naturalized citizen in Washington, D.C. Other prizes include a million American Airlines points, a $10,000 Starbucks gift card, and a lifetime supply of 76 gasoline.
Noem was reportedly working with streaming services to get the show picked up. The initial report was met by criticism from some who viewed it as pitting immigrants against one another for entertainment.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Mail that she viewed it as a “good idea” and acknowledged that the department was reviewing the pitch and had a call with the producer in early May.
MOST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED NEAR CANADIAN BORDER ENTERED FROM MEXICO
However, Noem said on Tuesday before the Senate that “that spokesperson was completely misquoted.”
“That article was completely inaccurate, completely inaccurate and false, and the fact that they printed it when they knew it was false was a dereliction of their work,” Noem said.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Auto Amazon Links: Could not resolve the given unit type, . Please be sure to update the auto-insert definition if you have deleted the unit.