Dem
47
GOP
53
This is yet another news item that, if you tried to make it into an episode of The West Wing, would be rejected as utterly implausible. And yet, here we are.
Rob Worsoff is a producer of schlocky-but-successful reality TV shows, most notably Duck Dynasty and Millionaire Matchmaker. And he has pitched the Trump-led Department of Homeland Security on a new concept: a show in which a dozen or so immigrant contestants would compete in an Amazing Race-style competition, with the prize being U.S. citizenship.
When reporters heard about this, they presumed (hoped?) it was just the throw-it-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks brainstorming of a schlocky-but-successful reality TV producer. So, the reporters asked a DHS official if such a program is really being planned. There is only one correct answer to that question, and it is: "No, of course not, we would never consider such a thing." However, the actual answer was that DHS hasn't decided yet, and is in the middle of conducting a "vetting process."
It is absolutely unbelievable that the proposal could even get that far, even under the leadership of a reality-TV president. To start, the optics are just awful. On learning the news, the first thing that approximately 100% of people thought of was the book/movie series The Hunger Games, in which second-class residents of a nation called Panem compete in a competition to the death for the amusement of the fascist government and its wealthy benefactors. Is that really the sort of allegory the Trump administration wants to put out there? Worsoff specifically rejected that notion, and said his proposed show would be a "love letter" to America. He can say whatever he wants; that isn't going to stop people from thinking about The Hunger Games.
A second problem, and one that the administration might actually care about, is that the whole notion runs entirely contrary to Trump's messaging on immigration. Citizenship is ostensibly supposed to be a precious jewel, bestowed only on the worthy, with everyone else to be banished. Giving citizenship away, like it's a lifetime supply of soup, is not only unfair to those who followed the rules and did it the right way, it also cheapens the privilege. Can you imagine what Democrats would say? "It's not enough to be born here, but it IS enough if you win Donald Trump's Amazing Citizenship Race?"
A third problem, and one that the administration undoubtedly does not care one bit about, is that the concept is cruel. We can imagine a documentary series in which the stories of, say, five immigrants from five continents are tracked over the years, letting viewers learn their stories, and humanizing them. However, the moment you have 12 people and one winner, that means you also have eleven losers. What happens to them, after they've been exploited for the entertainment of the masses? Do they get sent back to the country from which they came? Do they get to stay, but spend another 3-4 years dealing with the bureaucracy? This isn't like Wheel of Fortune; there are no consolation prizes to soften the blow of losing.
And a final problem is this: handing out citizenship like this probably isn't legal. It is true that Trump can announce that [WINNER] is a citizen, and then can tell DHS to leave that person alone, but that doesn't mean they are actually citizens.
We think, and we hope, that this show will not come to pass, and that DHS will pull its collective heads out of its collective a**, and tell Worsoff to pound sand. But such is the character of this administration that we just can't be sure. (Z)