A new documentary that’s free to watch online follows Americans leaving the US due to concerns over the country’s future under President Donald Trump, choosing instead to forge new lives in Spain.
European public service channel ARTE has broadcast a documentary titled “Spain: The Americans fleeing Trump“.
It follows the story of three American women who’ve moved to Spain for different reasons. The first is Chris Kelly, a single mother who moves because she wants a better life for her daughter as she fears for her safety back the US. Economic motivations were another of her reasons, as she can afford a better life in Spain.
The second, Cepee Tabibian, moved to Spain 10 years ago and is now an influencer as well as running a company helping other Americans move to Europe, including to Spain.
The third, Vanessa Velásquez, is a Colombian-American who chose to live in Spain because she’s gay and fears for the loss of her rights while living in Texas.
READ ALSO: Trump, safety and quality of life: Why so many Americans are moving to Spain
According to the documentary, searches for moving abroad from the US have risen by 1,500 percent since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, while demand for visas to Spain among US nationals has reportedly risen by 70 percent in the last 9 years.
The Local Spain reported this week that new Eurostat data shows that 15,638 US nationals were granted Spanish residency in 2024, the highest figure ever for Americans in one year. This also meant that Spain granted more residency permits to Americans than any other EU country last year.
There are now around 50,000 US citizens who call Spain home.
One of the main points the ARTE documentary drives home is that it’s not just Americans motivated by culture and wanderlust that want to move to Spain; many of them are scared for the future in the United States and what is currently happening to the country.
One of the documentary’s protagonists even questions whether she should say she’s from Canada instead, over concerns about Spaniards’ reactions towards her being American.
According to the film, the majority of the Americans looking to move to Spain are middle-class families, single parents or those looking to further their studies on student visas.
READ ALSO: Where are Americans looking to move to and rent in Spain?
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Cepee Tabibian, founder of She Hit Refresh, a global community that supports women in their desire to move to Spain and other parts of Europe, told the filmmakers that her masterclasses typically attracted around 90 to 100 people previously, but that after Trump got into power a total of 664 women have signed up to learn how they could move abroad.
Many of her clients were very emotional during the classes, citing their reasons for moving were safety and that they simply don’t feel at peace in the US anymore.
READ ALSO: Crime in Spain is different to the US, particularly if you’re a woman
Chris Kelly’s 17-year-old daughter understands this only too well as she explains that her school in San Diego had to have three armed guards to protect its students and that she had also lived through a suspected shooting when the school had to go into full lock down.
She looked visibly worried when her new teachers in Barcelona explained that armed guards weren’t needed here and that she will learn that there’s another way of living.
At 17, she admitted to never having taken public transport alone before as her mother claimed it was too dangerous back home, so now she was learning to use it for the very first time.
Her private school in Spain, which teaches in a mix of Spanish and English, said that interest from American families had increased by 40 percent.
EXPLAINED: How Americans can move to Spain
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Vanessa Velásquez, one of the documentary’s other interviewees, chose Spain because of her prior knowledge of Spanish due to her Latin American roots, as well as the fact that Spain is known for being gay-friendly. She also has an advantage coming to Spain as she can apply for Spanish citizenship after only two years with her Colombian heritage.
The irony wasn’t lost on her that her grandparents had moved to the US for a better life and now 50 years later she is doing the same – leaving the US for a better life in Spain.
ARTE’s documentary, available to watch here with a Spanish voiceover but with interviews held in English, showcases that for many Americans moving overseas currently, fear and worries are primary push factors.
