Author:
Jo Ann Van Engen
Donor Liaison and Communications Support
ASJ-US
Beyond Push and Pull: Migration as an Act of Love
August 4, 2025
Love, Labor, and the Price of Leaving
By Jo Ann Van Engen
When my husband Kurt and I ran a study abroad program in Honduras, one topic we always discussed was immigration. We’d ask our students to name the classic push and pull factors that drive people to leave their countries, and they could always list a lot: poverty, violence, natural disasters, job opportunities, safety. That framework was familiar and useful for discussion—but over time, I realized it was missing a very important factor.
As I’ve watched more and more of my neighbors’ children leave Honduras for the U.S. and other countries, I’ve come to see that behind all the economic and political reasons for leaving, there is another, more personal one: people leave out of love.
Most young adults don’t head north out of ambition or escape, but because it’s the most tangible way they know to care for the people they love. In a country where stable, well-paying jobs are scarce, working abroad is often the only way to support a family. They go so they can send money back home.
And they send an astonishing amount of money.
Last year alone, Hondurans living abroad sent over $6 billion back to their families (usually referred to as remittances). That’s 26% of the entire Honduran economy—the largest single source of income, more than exports from coffee, bananas, or clothing.That $6 billion represents more than just dollars. It represents millions of hours of labor. People working in restaurants, construction, farms, factories—doing difficult, often invisible jobs to support families they haven’t seen in years.
Even more striking, since the recent U.S. immigration crackdowns, remittances sent to Honduras and other Central American countries have gone up. A recent article in the Washington Post states: “In what may be an unexpected twist as fears of deportation grip the D.C. region, immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras or Guatemala are sending more money home, transferring their savings away from a country where their hopes for the future are dimming.” (Washington Post)
I don’t support illegal immigration, but I do understand the longing to work—and to be paid for that work. A dairy farmer recently told my friend that his immigrant employees never ask for raises or time off, but they do ask for more hours. Why? Because their hearts are turned toward their families, and more hours mean more money to send home.
From an economic standpoint, it’s not ideal that a quarter of Honduras’ economy depends on remittances. But when, according to the World Bank, more than one out of ten Hondurans live on less than $2 a day and job opportunities are so limited, these transfers are lifelines. Families depend on them—and those who send the money are proud to be able to give.
I believe most of us—whatever our differences of opinion—can agree on this: hard-working people doing essential jobs to care for their families should be allowed to work legally in the U.S. And my Honduran friends would be the first to say: "yes! let us come and contribute—and let us come legally with work visas."
Stay tuned for next month’s post, where we’ll explore what it actually takes to become a “legal” worker in the U.S.
Hondurans cast their ballots during the November 30, 2025, general election, which saw historic voter turnout and a peaceful process supported by more than 12,000 national and international election observers working to safeguard transparency.
ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US Congratulate the Honduran People, Call for Full and Transparent Results As sister organizations committed to justice, peace and hope in Honduras, ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US extend our deepest congratulations to the people of Honduras on the peaceful conduct of their national elections on November 30, 2025. With the initial tally showing an extraordinarily close vote, we call on election authorities to do what is necessary to ensure a transparent count of the remaining ballots in order to guarantee public trust in the final outcome. We commend the Honduran voters for their dedication to democratic participation and their commitment to shaping the future of their country through civic engagement. We also recognize the efforts of electoral authorities, civil society organizations, the international community and the thousands of volunteer observers who worked to ensure a transparent, orderly, and secure process. We are especially proud of our sister organization, ASJ-Honduras, for their unwavering commitment to democracy demonstrated through their electoral observation efforts, their analysis activities, and their consistent call for a fair and orderly process. Now that such a process has been achieved, the work turns to counting the votes with accuracy and transparency. The results remain close, increasing the possibility of a contested result. We support the work of the election officials at the National Electoral Council to give Hondurans confidence in the final results by conducting their count with rigor and transparency. We remain hopeful that the spirit of peaceful participation in the democratic process embraced by the electorate will carry forward into the post-election period to come. We look forward to continued collaboration with ASJ-Honduras as we all work together toward a just and hopeful future for all Hondurans. Matthew Van Geest President, Board of Directors ASJ-Canada Russ Jacobs President, Board of Directors ASJ-US
A call to action for Honduras
The Association for a More Justice Society-US Supports the Network to Defend Democracy; Calls for Free and Fair Elections in Honduras November 25, 2025
Honduras’s Institutional Crisis Deepens Ahead of the 2025 Elections
Dear friend, I couldn’t stop looking at the picture. Of course, there had been plenty of inspiring photos from this summer’s Prayer Walk for Peace and Democracy. The sea of blue and white rising and falling as hundreds of thousands walked the Honduran hills through Tegucigalpa, flowing like a never-ending stream. Catholic nuns praying their rosaries alongside Pentecostals dancing in the streets. But the picture that still knocks me flat is the closeup. The one of the two men standing side by side (picture enclosed). They are exhausted, and the shorter collapses into the taller. The tears mostly hold joy and relief, but they are mingled with something darker. After all, there had been threats—promises of harm done to themselves and their loved ones if they led their followers through the streets of Honduras in prayer. Despite the fear and intimidation, Pastor Gerardo Irías and Monsignor José Vicente Nácher forged ahead. They knew Honduras needed unity and, above all, prayer before the looming November 2025 presidential elections. As an ASJ supporter, you know that these kinds of threats aren’t out of the ordinary, and your support has helped slow and reverse violence in Honduras. Today, I am writing to share a way you can continue standing with brave Hondurans like Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José in hope. The Evangelical pastor and the Catholic archbishop put the word out as widely as they could to their churches, hoping to mobilize 20,000 to walk and pray. Instead, an estimated 230,000 walked in the capital of Tegucigalpa alone. It was a historic moment. And without your past support for ASJ, it may have never happened. After all, two years prior, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José didn’t even know each other’s names. They first met in 2023 at ASJ’s offices. They were two of many civil society leaders convened by ASJ to discuss safeguarding democracy– especially before the election in 2025. It was at that meeting that they shook each other’s hand and learned each other’s name. It was at that meeting–and many subsequent meetings–where old religious prejudices began to be replaced by trust and mutual affection. So, when the moment came this summer to act, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José knew what they had to do. And they knew that they had to do it together.
Calvin alums turn faith into action through nonprofit
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Thank You for Moving Forward With Us this Summer!
When Policies Shift, Families Pay the Price * by Jo Ann Van Engen
