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Thursday, January 5th, 2023

Why have millions of Americans moved to these countries instead?

Author:     Andrew Van Dam
Source:     The Washington Post
Publication Date:     December 23, 2022 | 6:00 a.m. EST
 Link: Why have millions of Americans moved to these countries instead?
Stephan:   We see endless articles and television news blocks on immigration but only rarely do we see anything about emigration. Yet emigration is becoming an important trend. On my island, two friends have moved to Mexico, and I know six others who have moved to other countries. A diaspora of people giving up on America because of the growing expense of living in the U.S., or because of the growing violence and conflict in the country.

We all know that America is a nation of immigrants (with the obvious exception of its long-marginalized Native population). But every so often, it feels like it’s on the verge of becoming a nation of emigrants.

After the 2004 reelection of George W. Bush, the 2020 election of Joe Biden and the 2016 election of Donald Trump, Google search interest in moving to Canada spiked. It happened again in June, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark abortion rights ruling Roe v. Wade. According to recent Gallup polls, as many as 15 percent of Americans say they want to leave the country permanently, and even more say they would consider expatriating under the right circumstances.

But only a small fraction of Americans have actually taken the plunge, data shows. And an even tinier minority leave the United States for political reasons, according to migration scholar Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels.

In part, this wide distribution is probably a legacyof America’s immigrant roots. America is the top destination for migrants from about 40 countries, andmany Americans remain linked to […]

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