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Last year the U.S. experienced something that hasn’t definitively occurred since the Great Depression: More people moved out than moved in. The Trump administration has hailed the exodus—negative net migration—as the fulfillment of its promise to ramp up deportations and restrict new visas. Beneath the stormy optics of that immigration crackdown, however, lies a less-noticed reversal: America’s own citizens are leaving in record numbers, replanting themselves and their families in lands they find more affordable and safe.

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[-] FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 week ago
[-] militaryintelligence@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

Wish I could leave. This is going to get bad ...

[-] criss_cross@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

I mean I would if my support system didn’t have serious roots here.

If I was single you bet I would.

But being married with children it’s a lot harder to do that.

[-] Obi@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 week ago

I totally get that, but we are married with a child and living very far away from any traditional support system (in a different country than either of our families). It's certainly tough, especially missing out on the free child care that everyone around us seems to be enjoying, but honestly it's not that bad, and even has some of its own benefits.

[-] ExtremeDullard@piefed.social 6 points 1 week ago

At least you can be certain the Americans who are disgusted enough with their country to make the non-trivial effort of uprooting themselves are good folks, and they'll be a net positive for whichever new society they choose to become part of.

[-] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

Yeah, there are lots of really awesome Americans out there. 

Unfortunately there are some incredibly shitty ones who have managed to get control of everything. 

[-] humanamerican@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 week ago

There are also a lot of otherwise decent Americans who are propagandized beyond all reason. The machinery for manufacturing consent in this country is sophisticated and very well funded.

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[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago

Countries like New Zealand are absolutely falling over themselves to bring in trades and medical professionals. I nearly replanted myself there.

[-] nightlily@leminal.space 3 points 1 week ago

I advise anyone thinking about it to do your research on why that is. Sure if your only other option is the US, but the tourism ads are not the same as living in NZ. Record numbers of kiwis are leaving there too.

[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 week ago

I have an ex co-worker that moved there a few years ago. I did a few on and off months of research. It's isolated. You're not getting concerts or going to amusement parks. Housing is expensive. Pay is marginal when you put it up against housing. Kids go through school and move to Australia or further for more opportunities. There's a windy season that's pretty insane if you're on the windward side. The ozone hole affects them, summers can be brutal even when it's not all that hot. Population is not diverse. It's markedly low stress. English speaking, schools are good, people are generally friendly. Lots of walking to places, food is seasonal, cheap and good quality. There are lots of good views and nature spaces.

[-] Thor_Whale@lemmus.org 6 points 1 week ago

You got to have a way to do it though. You either have to have a job already lined up or you have to be under 30 so you could work some crappy job for 2 years or you have to be independently wealthy. The average Joe working at the Ford factory isn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon.

[-] slowtrain33@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 week ago

US citizen who just finished immigrating to Japan 2 days ago. It took 8 months of planning and prep work, at least $50,000, and brought my wife and I to the edges of our sanity for the vast majority of those 8 months.

But we are finally free. Fuck ICE, fuck MAGA, and fuck Trump.

[-] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

Now you've moved to Japan, with its rising far right politics

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[-] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 6 points 1 week ago

I would go if anyone wanted me, but I'm not rich enough or smart enough, so I'll have to take my chances with the MAGAs. Looks like being a Revolutionary is in my future.

[-] Lexam@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

If we could leave, we would leave.

[-] huquad@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago

Definitely out of reach for most. So many are paycheck to paycheck as it is

[-] beccaboben@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Leaving the US is too expensive for most of us to even consider.

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[-] pedz@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago

I wonder if just like Brits and French, Unitedstaters emigrating elsewhere will call themselves "expats" instead of immigrants.

We, white people of the west, can go anywhere in the world for work, affordability and/or safety without considering ourselves immigrants.

Many years ago I was chatting with someone from Malmö. He was complaining how immigrants were "taking over his city". But when I mentioned that I, a Canadian, would also like to move to Sweden, he told me it would be fine, that he would not consider me "an immigrant" because I'm from the west.

Anyway, I understand why anyone would want to leave. It's just that it seems the vocabulary used is different for different people.

[-] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

I’m an American immigrant in Germany. It’s infuriating how many Germans complain to me about immigrants, then when hearing that I’m an immigrant, wave their hand and say I’m not like the others. I’m now a German teacher and married to a German, so they’ve always got plausible deniability that it’s about language or integration, but I wasn’t always good at German and I only met my husband after a few years here. It used to be much more fun to push back on why.

[-] themaninblack@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Daaamn. You moved to a foreign country and became a teacher of their language in said country? Jesus that’s an almost pornographic level of integration. Almost like a flex.

I was German club president in high school and I could not even fathom doing this. Kudos.

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[-] gusgalarnyk@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

I moved to Germany from the US and make a point of calling myself an immigrant to tackle this very thing. Honestly I haven't heard expat used by anyone besides contractors looking to go back home after the duration, but that's anectodal.

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[-] LBP321@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

My husband and I are moving to Mérida, Yucatán, México in April. We don't feel safe in Los Angeles anymore. And despite all the stuff going on in Mexico, Mérida is one of the safest cities in all the Americas.

[-] Horsey@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Personne peut me messager avec un boulot français au sud de la France (ou Paris). Je voudrais y évader toute suite. Chuis biologiste, et chevalier professionnellement.

[-] BigTuffAl@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 week ago

I hate it here and have tried to emigrate to Canada unsuccessfully. They changed their laws to be racist to Indian immigrants but they've basically just fucked up their ability to gain skilled workers.

You need to be rich and privileged to escape by normal means. The regime is making it harder every day. My deepest, most sincere hope is for the complete destruction of the USA federal government. They've ruined my life.

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this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2026
69 points (98.6% liked)

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