Pressure, Pushing Down on Me: Sanctions-Led Disruptions of Remittance Flows and the Social Consequences for Transnational Arab Families

Remittances—cross-border financial transfers sent by migrants to their home countries—serve as critical economic lifelines and social connectors. However, economic sanctions disrupt these flows through ambiguous legal prohibitions and heightened security measures, exacerbating financial and social precarity. Despite their significance, the mechanisms and consequences of such disruptions remain understudied in South West Asia (SWA), particularly in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan. This study combined legal analysis, firsthand remittance experience, and interviews with financial bureaucrats (n=12), university administrators (n=3), and SWA diaspora members (n=11) in the U.S. Findings revealed that hyper-securitization caused systemic delays, cancellations, and account closures, with inadequate alternative pathways. Sanctions also imposed emotional burdens, including feelings of separation and guilt, while reshaping migrants' community ties. The study underscored the collateral harms of targeted sanctions, and demonstrated how U.S. foreign policy reverberates domestically. Policy recommendations included a sanctions oversight body, blanket remittance exemptions, and federal support for resilient transfer mechanisms.