American Emigration Search Surge as Trump's Victory Hurts Many Hearts
As Donald Trump won his second presidency and will take office on January 20, many Americans are already exploring another kind of exit: moving abroad.
Google searches for move to Canada surged 1,270% in the 24 hours after U.S. East Coast polls closed on Tuesday, company data shows. Similar searches about moving to New Zealand climbed nearly 2,000%, while those for Australia jumped 820%. Reuters first reported the findings.
Late Wednesday evening on the U.S. East Coast, Google searches about emigrating were hitting all-time highs for all three countries, according to a Google official.
While the search giant does not provide absolute figures, data from the Immigration New Zealand website showed the site logged around 25,000 new U.S. users on Nov. 7, compared to 1,500 on the same day last year.
Every half hour, there is a new email inquiry, said Evan Green, managing partner at Canada's oldest immigration law firm, Green and Spiegel.
The sudden enthusiasm for emigration echoes the interest in moving abroad seen after Trump's 2016 victory. This time, however, the Republican's re-election has followed a particularly divisive campaign in which nearly three-quarters of U.S. voters said they felt American democracy was under threat, according to Edison Research exit polls.
There is also speculation that some of the interest comes from illegal immigrants. Trump has stated he will conduct a mass deportation of millions of immigrants living in the U.S. without authorization. Vice President-elect Vance also declared to criminal illegals, Pack your bags, because in six months, you're going home!
Many Americans are worried that his presidency could drive a bigger wedge between Democrats and Republicans on issues such as race, gender, education, and reproductive rights.
Trump is obviously the impetus, but it's also societal. The majority of Americans voted for him, and some people don't necessarily feel comfortable living in that kind of society anymore. People are afraid they are going to lose freedoms, said Green.
In a Reddit group dedicated to those leaving the U.S., called r/AmerExit, hundreds shared suggestions about ideal destinations and tips for getting visas and jobs. Some users expressed fears for their country, their safety, or both after Trump's election.