US Homeland Security Department considers reality show where immigrants compete for citizenship

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is considering taking part in a reality show that will pit immigrants against each other to compete for fast-track citizenship.

Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Tricia McLaughlin told The New York Times (NYT) the pitch was "a celebration of being an American and what a privilege it is to be able to be a citizen of the United States of America".

According to U.S. news outlets, the pitch was proposed by Rob Worsoff, who produced the U.S. reality TV series "Duck Dynasty", "Dating Naked", and "The Millionaire Matchmaker".

Proposed series is called "The American"

British news outlet Daily Mail reported on May 15 that the proposed series is called "The American", where participants would compete in regionally specific "cultural" contests such as rolling logs in Wisconsin.

Worsoff, who was born in Canada, said, "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 NYT, "We need to be reminded of how proud and how much of an honor it is to be American.”

Worsoff said the show would end with someone being sworn in as a U.S. citizen, and no one would be penalized in their immigration process or deported if they lost.

While Daily Mail reported that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem supports the project and wants to proceed, McLaughlin told The Daily Beast that Noem has not reviewed the pitch yet.

DHS also issued a press release titled "FAKE NEWS FRIDAY: DHS Torches Latest Media Hoax" to announce that Noem neither ‘backed’ nor is even aware of the pitch of any scripted or reality show.

"This pitch has not received approval or rejection by staff," McLaughlin said.

That said, McLaughlin confirmed with The Daily Beast that the concept is "in the very beginning stages" of vetting and "each proposal undergoes a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval".

Top image via Rob Worsoff/IMDb and Department of Homeland Security/Facebook