Elías Padilla, a resident of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, has spent over a year saving for a journey to the United States as an undocumented immigrant. Lately, he has stopped his progress because he is afraid of being picked up and deported. Padilla began to feel economic despair growing in his native land. His primary motivation to come to the U.S. was working and sending remittances back home, and providing for his family. The former mayor has committed to increasing the monthly payments he’s making. This change better positions him to face the new challenges presented by the current political climate.
To afford the trip, Padilla has sold his personal belongings and saved every cent to fund the experience. Padilla has worked tirelessly to raise money for his journey. And yet he knows all too well the dangers they face when crossing. This understanding deepens with the context of rising Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids amidst the Trump administration’s Open Season on immigrants.
“Because we make almost nothing here, I want to change the situation of my life,” declared Padilla. The grim economic outlook in Honduras has led many people to see migration as their only choice. For people like Padilla, fear of deportation hangs over every encounter.
For Padilla, ensuring his family can continue to live and prosper even in his absence is paramount. To achieve this, he’s increased his remittances from $500/month to roughly $300/week. As a husband and father of two, he wants to take care of his family, especially in the holidays when the bills can really stack up. “My family uses most of the money I send home just to afford their food and other necessities,” he told us. They usually have a pot of money they can use to buy or otherwise acquire land. With that land, we can one day afford to build a house and possibly even own a car!
The economic situation in Honduras is still deteriorating, further exacerbated by violence and lack of opportunities. Since late 2006, violence has taken more than 12,800 victims’ lives across the country. This violence has contributed to the destabilization, and many have fled to the United States to escape it. Padilla went on to highlight the perils of undocumented migration. He argues that the dire conditions in people’s home countries will push them to migrate despite their fears.
Under the new proposal, “I don’t want to say it should be more like what Trump is doing … just kidding!” Padilla conceded. His sentiment is a sentiment that many think. Caught in the tension between dreams of a more promising future and the cruel fate of cut migration policies, this is the route Padilla has chosen to take. For now, he won’t move until this current surge of ICE raids blows over or we get a new U.S. leadership.
Hondurans’ remittances recently hit an all-time high. In 2024, that meant sending home $9.7 billion. In only the first nine months of this year, that figure has jumped to nearly $10.1 billion. This alarming trend reflects how more families are relying on money from home. It’s worsening conditions at home that are driving this increased reliance.
Elías Padilla is hardly the only one suffering through difficult circumstances. Far too many people are left to contend with a gauntlet of fears and financial burdens that govern their decisions. Immigration policies have thrown up daunting barriers for them. As a consequence, they’re rethinking their plans even as they still send money home to support family members.