Californians are exploring the possibility of moving abroad after becoming increasingly “fed” with the divisive politics in the US.
A recent report shows that those living in the Golden State are especially considering a move abroad – or even across the border to Mexico.
Experts who specialize in expat relocations abroad say they have seen a notable increase in the number of Americans exploring options to leave the country, with 2024 figures far higher than 2023 figures.
Henley & Partners, a firm specializing in international residency and citizenship, said about 80 percent of its U.S. clients cite political concerns as the top reason for moving elsewhere.
Jen Barnett founded the company Expatsi with her husband, Brett Andrews, after years of researching their own move to Mexico
“They want an opportunity to escape,” Basil Mohr Elzeki told the channel LA times. “Now with the election, people have opinions on both sides, and they’re concerned.”
Elzeki, head of the company’s North American operations, noted how increased tensions surrounding the current election cycle have prompted many to explore life beyond U.S. borders.
Similarly, Jen Barnett, founder of Expatsi, an organization that helps Americans move abroad, noted that there had been a significant spike in website traffic since the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
“The very fact that he could be nominated before me meant that something was broken beyond repair, and it wasn’t something we could get back,” she told the Los Angeles Times, and noted that her site had seen a 900 percent increase in traffic.
Barnett ultimately moved to Merida, Mexico, earlier this year, adding that the decision stemmed from concerns dating back to Trump’s initial rise in 2016.
Basil Mohr Elzeki’s company helps people obtain residency and citizenship in other countries through investments
Barnett’s company helps U.S. citizens looking to move abroad and said traffic on its website jumped 900 percent after the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump
Mykel Dicus, a 54-year-old from Hayward, California, found Barnett’s location and is now planning a move to Spain within the next few years.
“I feel safer there,” says Dicus, a gay man. “It’s time to live free from American political fear.
“If a regime like MAGA can win these elections, I am very afraid,” Dicus added. “I just feel like it’s time to enjoy a life free from all American worries.”
Perhaps surprisingly, the desire to leave the US is not limited to one side of the political spectrum.
Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels, a migration scholar at the University of Kent, said it appears both conservatives and liberals are considering emigrating.
“We interpreted saying ‘I’m leaving’ as an expression of protest and not as an actual migration intention,” she said.
“Anecdotally, I’ve heard more and more people talking, not just about a Trump administration, but about the divisions in the country,” von Koppenfels said.
Mykel Dicus, a 54-year-old from Hayward, California, is now planning a move to Spain within the next few years.
There seem to be strong opinions on both sides of the political divide, urging people to take action
Such findings are echoed by Marco Permunian, founder of Italian Citizenship Assistance, who noted that there is interest in moving abroad regardless of which party is in power.
“We came to the conclusion that there is a general sense of fear, and it affects people on both sides of the political spectrum,” Permunian told the Times.
Permunian noted that there was a general sense of unease that is driving people on both sides of the political spectrum to seek stability elsewhere.
It means that for some Americans, political polarization has made the prospect of living abroad more attractive than staying home to weather the storm.