4 weeks Ago
After Trump’s Win, Teachers Withdraw to Morocco
Teachers from Asheville, N.C., Kevin and Jessica Cellura decided in the wake of the presidential election that they would take jobs in Morocco. The couple and their youngest two children are slated to move to Rabat by August 10 where they will teach at an American-style school. The Celluras say the election’s result only heightened their desire to leave. Kevin worried that the present administration is more propaganda- than reality-oriented. He also alluded to the January 6, 2021, Capitol incident as a particularly dark turning point.
Though they are politically unaffiliated voters, the couple supported Democrat Kamala Harris in the last election. The return of Trump, whom he voted for as a Republican in the 1990s, gave the couple the nudge they needed to make the trip, Kevin said.
Resurgence of Citizenship Applications Overseas
Recent statistics indicate a boom in Americans applying for foreign citizenship. More than 1,900 Americans applied for British passports in the first quarter of 2025, the most since 2004. In Ireland, some 4,700 applications were filed by U.S residents who claim ancestry, the highest quarterly number in ten years. Political considerations aren’t necessarily the sole motivation, although many are clearly in search of an escape hatch.
Even those who are not ready to leave immediately are making backup plans, immigration experts say. Others, particularly families and LGBTQ+ people, are migrating more urgently as a result of changing policies and increasing instability.
Americans Tell Us How They Are Preparing to Leave
David Lesperance, who runs a tax and immigration advisory firm, said that since then he has been getting up to five inquiries a day from Americans who are hoping to move, compared to just a couple a week before. He has seen a spike in interest from parents of trans children in the wake of a recent executive order that affects gender-affirming care.
Like Kreisman, international tax lawyer Melvin Warshaw says many of his clients feel threatened in terms of basic rights. They include LGBTQ+ campaigners and those who fear the advance of autocracy.
Public figures are also part of the exodus. 01:38 In January, comedian Rosie O’Donnell moved her non-binary child to Ireland and now plans to apply for citizenship based on ancestry. She said she would return to the U.S. only once all citizens were guaranteed equal rights.
An Aim for a Quieter Life Abroad
A screenwriter and novelist, Erik Lindsay moved to Italy in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Though his decision was not directly related to Trump, he says the increasing political polarization in America was a major factor. He said America was engaged in an “ideological civil war” and he had trouble discussing politics calmly.
Lindsay, who was already considering a move, based on his Italian ancestry. He recently obtained Italian citizenship just weeks before a new law eradicated the road to citizenship via great-grandparents. Now based in Italy, Lindsay feels less stressed and political conversations are far simpler.
With so much uncertainty in the lives of Americans at home, some are now looking to other countries for tranquillity, opportunity and, increasingly, security.
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