American citizens are competing at Madrid’s roots, as Europe’s furthest capital becomes a safe haven for “Trump regime refugees” seeking to escape from the U.S. president.
The wealth gap and distant work in the United States and Spain have fueled the influx since the pandemic on the 19th, but Americans want to stand out from the turmoil of Donald Trump’s second term.
“The level of interest is surprising. “I can hardly keep up. ”
The arrival wave is the latest sign that long underrated Madrid abroad enjoys what leaders call “moment” – outsiders are attracted by their art, food, joy and piercing sunshine.
The cost of living is also a small part of other big cities, including London and Paris. Americans with our salary or savings are finding 55 minutes of croissants in the supermarket Mercadona for just 3 euros of wine.
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For Gonzalez, inquiries from US clients began to increase in 2023. The upward trend turned into a surge when Trump received a Republican presidential nomination last March. “People are very worried. Now, a lot of people are in Spain. They are starting to arrive,” he said.
According to the Immigration Department, the number of Americans living in the Madrid region has reached nearly 10,000 times by mid-2024, up 35% from mid-2018 despite the pandemic. Since then, residence applications continue to pile up, especially for so-called “digital nomadic” visas.
Facebook forums including self-styled “Trump Refugees” are buzzing. Madrid American Schools reported intense interest from California, Colorado and Florida. In a city angry on Padel, Americans gather together to make kimchi, a racket sport that most Spaniards don’t know.
Korean-American Sunny Lee moved from Atlanta to Madrid with her husband and two children in 2023, a relocation that has new significance after Trump’s victory in the election. “It’s just a rise, and it’s a very good whim based on the current political atmosphere,” she said. “At this point, my desire to return to the United States is zero. What’s going on there has brought me a lot of it. Anxiety, especially as a person of color. Especially as a woman.”
Canadian-American writer and editor Selena Templeton arrived from Los Angeles last summer and has become a role model for the victims to return home. “They said: Trump was elected. This is a shit show in this country. I want to leave. How did you do it?”
However, Spanish knowledge remains bloated. Trump himself suggested last month that it was a member of the emerging economy.
Jeremy Scheck, 24, a cookbook author who moved to Madrid from New York last year, said: “There is still a lot of the Mexican culture outside of that well-traveled coastal bubble.” Foot predicts Spanish culture. I always get similar questions: Is Spanish food spicy?”
For years, if Spain thinks of any city, it is Barcelona. But the anti-tourism protests there last year made it stand out. For those who are eager to learn or polish Spain, the universality of Catalans in the capital of the Catalan region also objected to it.
The new magnet is Madrid, with its metropolitan area being home to nearly 7MN. Last year, more than one million American tourists came to the city due to more flight contacts and marketing from regional governments, which is twice the number of arrivals in the UK.
New residents say they cherish how Madrid combines the buzz of a big city with the feeling of the universe. They love walking, building and lack of active shooter drills in the kids’ schools. They like the Spanish warm and chatty, but not “in your business” as one says.
There is even a Hollywood contingent: Richard Gere and Amber Heard both make the city their home.
For possible immigration, the digital nomadic visa opens a new path to a residence for non-EU citizens who work for non-Spanish entities at home. They also need at least €33,000 in annual income.
In 2023, the first year of visas, Spain issued more than 9,500 people from various countries. Many are for West Coast software engineers, but they also go to U.S. government contractors, accountants and people like Scheck, who are also food influencers on social media.
“It is absolutely a relief to stand out from the highs and lows every day,” the incident he wants to go home said.
Kai Bryant, head of relocation agency Blueprint Spain, said he asked Americans at the end of his career, who were concerned about Medicare and its pension. “What they said is: I don’t want to retire in the United States. What choice do I have?” he said. “Some people are a little misleading and ask if they can apply for asylum. But it’s just showing despair.”
Immigration consultant Astons of Astons said Spain’s Golden Visa Program is available to anyone who invests in €500,000 in property. But in April, it will be close to new applicants.
The arrival of the United States did not move to Madrid by the wealth of the Latin American elite. However, in parts of the United States, there is wealth every day, which attracts people’s eyes when it moves to Spain.
The average annual salary in Madrid is about €32,000. Attorney González said his clients typically earn between $120,000 and $200,000. Those who bought assets 10 or 20 years ago, whether it’s California mansions, Amazon or NVIDIA shares, have millions of dollars.
But every new country brings challenges. Americans marvel at the dinner time in Madrid and the strict opinions on when things should be consumed. “I love the absinthe here, but if I don’t just order it before dinner, I’ll get these looks.”
Some people also miss the comfort and modernity of their homes. “When we first came here, I felt like I was from the future,” Lee said. “In the future, we have mats to unlock our doors, not these keys that look like castles.”
Keith Fray’s data visualization
