As uncertainty looms over immigration policy under President Donald Trump’s new administration, migrants from Central America living in the U.S. are sending record amounts of money back home—just in case.
In the first quarter of 2025, remittances from the U.S. to Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua spiked significantly, with increases as high as 24% compared to the same period last year. Economists say the jump is fueled by one thing: fear of deportation.
For many migrant workers, the threat of being forced to leave the U.S. has triggered a rush to send as much money as possible to their families—whether to secure their savings abroad or ensure loved ones are financially stable if things take a turn.
Guatemala received $5.64 billion in remittances in just the first three months of 2025, up 20.5% from the previous year. Honduras followed closely with $2.62 billion, a 24% increase. While full data from El Salvador and Nicaragua isn’t yet available, early figures show similarly sharp increases—14.2% and 22.6%, respectively.
“This is clearly a reaction to fear,” said Álvaro González, president of Guatemala’s central bank. Economic analyst Erick Coyoy echoed the sentiment, calling the surge a “preemptive response to the rising threat of deportation.”
It’s not just money flowing from the U.S.—Nicaraguan migrants are also wiring funds from countries like Costa Rica and Spain, contributing to a two-month total of $909 million in early 2025 alone.
The renewed wave of fear stems from Trump’s campaign promise to launch the largest deportation operation in U.S. history—a vow that has already prompted some migrants to abandon their journeys and return home voluntarily.
