Honduran Remittances Surge Amid Immigration Fears

Sun Dec 28 2025 13:15:02 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As fears of deportation rise among Hondurans living in the US, remittances sent back home have increased significantly, indicating a complex response to immigration policies.

Hondurans in the United States are sending record amounts of money back home, driven by heightened fears of deportation amidst strict immigration policies. Remittances have increased by 26% from last year, reflecting not only the financial needs of families in Honduras but also a response to the uncertainty surrounding immigrants' futures. While some potential immigrants are rethinking their plans due to the current political climate, those already in the US are prioritizing support for their families in Honduras.

For over a year, Elías Padilla had been saving up to make the journey from Honduras to the United States as an undocumented immigrant.

As an Uber driver in the snarled streets of the capital, Tegucigalpa, it hasn't been easy for him to put money aside. On bad days he makes as little as $12 (£9) in 12 hours.

Now, though, his plans are on hold.

The images of undocumented immigrants in major US cities being dragged away by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, their wrists in zip-ties, have deterred at least one would-be immigrant in Central America from travelling north.

I want to improve my life conditions because we earn very little here, Elías explains as we drive around the city. Take this line of work, for example: an Uber driver in the US makes in an hour what I'd make in a day.

Like most Honduran immigrants, Elías says the main aim of reaching the US would be to send remittances home.

But I see what Trump is doing, and it's made me think twice, he admits.

President Trump's crackdown on immigration has brought an unexpected consequence: a 26% increase in remittances to Honduras by immigrants still in the US. In the first nine months of the year, remittances climbed from $9.7 billion (£7.2 billion) in all of 2024 to over $10.1 billion (£7.5 billion).

Marcos, a construction worker in the US, shared his experience of sending nearly $1,200 a month home. It's a race against time, he says, highlighting the insecurity brought by potential ICE raids.

This surge in remittances underscores the complexities of the ongoing immigration debates and the effects of political policies on the lives of ordinary people.