--- title: Is the DHS Considering an Immigration-Based Reality Show? description: A reality TV veteran producer says he has pitched the show. Here's what to know. canonical: https://time.com/7286216/department-of-homeland-security-reality-show-immigrants-compete-us-citizenship-pitch/ author: Rebecca Schneid article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-05-17T13:52:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2025-05-17T19:15:42.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Is the DHS Considering an Immigration-Based Reality Show? og:description: A reality TV veteran producer says he has pitched the show. Here's what to know. og:url: https://time.com/7286216/department-of-homeland-security-reality-show-immigrants-compete-us-citizenship-pitch/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2117ef8c2b9bb5c/6998c6b57323af8a9f2bc86c/GettyImages-2187500344.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6240 og:image:height: 3510 og:image:alt: United States Departments And Agencies og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Is the DHS Considering an Immigration-Based Reality Show? twitter:description: A reality TV veteran producer says he has pitched the show. Here's what to know. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2117ef8c2b9bb5c/6998c6b57323af8a9f2bc86c/GettyImages-2187500344.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Is the Department of Homeland Security Considering a Reality Show Where Immigrants Compete for U.S. Citizenship? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=ec3b906a-8d68-4374-bc4c-50ae6d0c20a5&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Updated: May 17, 2025 7:15 PM UTCPublished: May 17, 2025 1:52 PM UTC  The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) logo appears on the screen of a smartphone, with the flag of the United States in the background, in Reno, Nevada, on Dec. 3, 2024. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) logo appears on the screen of a smartphone, with the flag of the United States in the background, in Reno, Nevada, on Dec. 3, 2024. Jaque Silva—Getty Images  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Updated: May 17, 2025 7:15 PM UTCPublished: May 17, 2025 1:52 PM UTC A producer behind reality shows like _The Millionaire Matchmaker,_ _Duck Dynasty,_ and _Alpha Dogs_ has pitched a new reality show idea to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—one in which immigrants compete for U.S. citizenship. “I'm putting a face to immigration. This is a great celebration of America,” [Rob Worsoff told CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/16/politics/video/immigration-reality-tv-show-rod-worsoff-src-digvid) in an interview that aired on Friday, May 16, noting that he himself is an immigrant from Canada. Worsoff said that he also pitched this reality show during both previous Democratic Administrations. In an emailed statement to TIME on Saturday, Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary who oversees the DHS' public outreach, said: “DHS receives hundreds of television show pitches a year, ranging from documentaries surrounding ICE and CBP border operations to white collar investigations by HSI,” adding that each of these proposals goes through a vetting process. “We need to revive patriotism and civic duty in this country, and we’re happy to review out-of-the-box pitches. This pitch has not received approval or rejection by staff,” she said. McLaughlin also denied, as she had previously[ via social media](https://x.com/TriciaOhio/status/1923183924047442191), that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was backing the show in any way, and said that Noem is “not even aware of the pitch.” Meanwhile, Worsoff claimed during his interview that the DHS appears to be “seriously considering” the show—which he said would include a series of elimination challenges across America. Examples he gave of such challenges included a “pizza-making challenge” in New York, a “rocket-launching challenge” in Florida, and a “gold rush challenge” in California. Per his vision, each episode would culminate in a town hall-esque style vote, one he said is akin to a “presidential election.” “The people of Tennessee, let’s say, will get to vote on which one of our future Americans they would most like to represent the state of Tennessee,” Worsoff offered as an example. Then, a winner would be granted citizenship. The show currently has the working title "The American."  Executive Producers Rob Worsoff and Jack Osbourne speak onstage during the Alpha Dogs panel discussion at the Langham Hotel on Jan. 4, 2013, in Pasadena, Calif. Frederick M. Brown—Getty Images The pitch comes at a time when President Donald Trump and his Administration have launched a crackdown on U.S. immigration—embroiling themselves in legal battles to end birthright citizenship, upping mass deportation goals, and overhauling asylum access. On Friday, [the Supreme Court barred the Trump Administration](https://time.com/7286140/supreme-court-immigration-aliens-act/) from using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged gang members to a prison in El Salvador. The Trump Administration had previously been utilizing the act to expedite deportations of Venezuelan nationals alleged to be in the Tren de Aragua gang, though the court argued that Trump only gave these migrants 24 hours to receive legal advice, and that they were “devoid of information about how to exercise due process rights to contest that removal.” The ruling extends the court’s April emergency order barring Trump from using the wartime law to deport migrants held in a detention facility in Texas. There have also been reports that the DHS has requested 20,000 National Guard members to assist with its deportation efforts. [The New York _Times_ reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/us/politics/national-guard-immigration.html) on Friday that the request came after Trump asked the DHS to raise their deportation force by that same amount, by pulling in officers from state or federal agencies. **Read More**: [_What Is Habeas Corpus and How Is It Under Threat By the Trump Administration?_](https://time.com/7284743/what-is-habeas-corpus-under-threat-suspension-trump-administration/) The stakes are high when it comes to the topic of immigration, Worsoff recognized in his interview, but he argued that his reality show idea is “not _The Hunger Games_.” “It's not some mean spirited thing that's trying to deport people; it's exactly the opposite of that,” he said. “I'm very fortunate and lucky and honored to be an American. And I want everybody to understand the process.” But the concept has already been widely criticised. Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat, called it “a sick idea” on MSNBC on Saturday. “During this Trump Administration, it seems like every day we lose more and more of our humanity,” [Castro said](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6SVgw2VEFY). “The idea that you would do a reality show and have people compete for citizenship, it’s just sick, a sick idea.” Others on social media have echoed Castro’s sentiment. New York Rep. Jerry Nadler of the Democratic Party said: “[Human lives are not game show props](https://x.com/RepJerryNadler/status/1923367115236512241).” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7286216/department-of-homeland-security-reality-show-immigrants-compete-us-citizenship-pitch/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7286216/department-of-homeland-security-reality-show-immigrants-compete-us-citizenship-pitch/"},"headline":"Is the Department of Homeland Security Considering a Reality Show Where Immigrants Compete for U.S. Citizenship?","datePublished":"2025-05-17T13:52:57.000Z","dateModified":"2025-05-17T19:15:42.000Z","description":"A producer says he has pitched a show where immigrants compete for U.S. citizenship.","url":"https://time.com/7286216/department-of-homeland-security-reality-show-immigrants-compete-us-citizenship-pitch/","keywords":["Immigration","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2117ef8c2b9bb5c/6998c6b57323af8a9f2bc86c/GettyImages-2187500344.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rebecca Schneid","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2117ef8c2b9bb5c/6998c6b57323af8a9f2bc86c/GettyImages-2187500344.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"United States Departments And Agencies","caption":"United States Departments And Agencies","creditText":"Jaque Silva—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/immigration/","name":"Immigration"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7286216/department-of-homeland-security-reality-show-immigrants-compete-us-citizenship-pitch/","name":"Is the Department of Homeland Security Considering a Reality Show Where Immigrants Compete for U.S. Citizenship?"}}]}] ```