Leaving the United States, the new American dream?

Jasmine Legendre

Published at 12:00 am

• United States

On the eve of the elections, the tense political climate is prompting some Americans to seek better living conditions elsewhere.

“I see the United States becoming a place where I will no longer be safe,” says Jessica Helms, a 25-year-old trans woman contacted by Le Devoir. A resident of Springfield, Missouri, she says she has to dress masculine, even after coming out. “When I came to work with nail polish, a lot of my coworkers changed their attitudes,” says Helms, who has now changed jobs.

So she’s considering leaving the United States, like 34 percent of Americans, according to a March 2024 poll by Monmouth University.

Missouri is a “very conservative” state, rated as “bad” for trans people by the think tank Movement Advancement Project, which tracks gender identity policies across the country. “I need to try to get out of the United States while I can still work, make money, and travel without being constantly harassed,” says Jessica Helms.

On Google, the search for “leaving the United States” saw significant increases during the election of Donald Trump in 2016 and that of Joe Biden in 2020. On TikTok, several testimonies now mention a high cost of living or a tense political climate as reasons for emigrating.

A considered decision

It was political reasons that pushed Jen Barnett and her partner, Brett Andrews, to move to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. “[The country] is divided to the point where there are tensions between neighbors, within the family,” says the woman who began to consider leaving after Donald Trump's election in 2016. The former activists could no longer stand living in this anxiety-provoking climate.

Together, the couple drew up a list of the essential values ​​and criteria that they needed to find in the country where they were going to settle down. “Later, this list became the test that started our company, Expatsi, because we thought that if it was useful to us, it would probably be useful to others too.”

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

The company founded two years ago helps American citizens find the best destination to move to. In two years, they have collected information from more than 43,000 people. The taste for adventure and personal growth, individual freedoms and the overly divided and conservative climate of the United States are the main arguments put forward by the respondents.

The Americans who consult Jen Barnett and Brett Andrews come from all walks of life, but the majority are progressive. They include people of color, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, like Jessica Helms. However, the majority of Expatsi’s clientele is women. “Our site exploded after Roe v. Wade was overturned,” Barnett notes. Women want to build their families elsewhere, where their children’s reproductive rights will be respected, but they also worry about gun violence in schools. “It's torture for them,” she says.

Harris or Trump, what's the difference? ?

Although she grew up in a Republican family, Jessica Helms fears a possible Donald Trump victory. “I'm afraid that in a few years, I'll be at risk of being followed on the street or even murdered [because I'm trans],” she says.

If Kamala Harris is elected, she believes she will have a little more time to prepare for her departure, but fears that this peace of mind will only be fleeting. “If Trump wins, on the other hand, it’s an immediate crisis,” she adds.

Jen Barnett agrees. Although she hopes that no Americans will have to flee the United States, she is preparing for the worst. “Everyone in my industry is preparing [for Trump’s election]. We saw the spikes in traffic on our platforms after the debates. If Harris wins, I expect it to be pretty stable. But it won’t last. We only have to think about the events of January 6, 2021,” she says.

Of course, not all countries welcome Americans to the same standards. Canada is one of the hardest places to qualify. So Americans are eyeing countries where immigrating is easier. “They were really interested in Portugal and their advantageous tax programs, but that’s not the case anymore. Spain, Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica are the most coveted destinations. Ireland also offers advantageous programs for retirees,” she says.