Immigrants Can’t Send Money Home From The US? No, Viral News Report Is Fake

A purported “USA News’’ report has gone viral, claiming that US president Donald Trump has announced that “no immigrant can remit money back to their own country.” The archived version of the post can be seen here, which has clocked 794.2K views so far.

This is the transcript of the 01:02 video:

“Starting tomorrow, June 20, no immigrant will be able to send money to their countries of origin. If you do not have legal immigration status, you can’t send a single dollar home. This isn’t a warning. It’s happening now. The Remittance Control act kicks in tomorrow morning, blocking all money transfers without valid U.S. documentation. Trump declared during his announcement. Illegal immigrants have been draining $150 billion annually from our economy. That ends tomorrow. The numbers are staggering. 42 million immigrants send money overseas, supporting 800 million family members globally. Western Union money all blocked. Without a real ID or valid Social Security number, you’re cut off completely. Banks must verify legal status before any transfer. Violators face $10,000 fines per transaction. Money transfer businesses risk losing their licenses. Families in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador are about to lose their only lifeline. Even supporters are calling this extreme. This isn’t just policy, it’s personal.”

Fact Check

Newschecker did not find any credible news report by a media outlet stating that Trump has stopped immigrants from sending money back to their own country, nor of any act in place since June 20, 2025. Also, we ran the audio past Resemble Deepfake Detector, which found it “fake”, while the Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector concluded that certain excerpts were deepfakes, further raising our doubts on the authenticity of the viral report.

Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Nears Final Vote, Remittance Tax Relief On The Cards

Interestingly, we came across numerous reports stating that US legislators have recently significantly diluted the provision in the proposed legislation to tax remittances to other countries, including India, whose biggest remittance source is the US.  Remittance refers to non-commercial transfers of money that people in the US send to people abroad (for instance, family members).  The United States Senate has reportedly begun debating Trump’s 940-page “Big, Beautiful Bill” of tax breaks and sweeping cuts to healthcare and food programmes, ahead of a self-imposed 4 July deadline. The bill needs a simple majority to clear the Senate and if passed in the Senate, the bill would go back to the House of Representatives for approval.

“The latest version of the Bill, released on Friday (June 27, 2025), reduces the tax on remittances to 1% from the earlier proposal of 3.5%, and excludes remittances made from bank accounts and other financial institutions and those made via debit or credit cards from the tax,” read The Hindu report, dated June 28, 2025, adding that the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in May 2025 but is now up for debate in the U.S. Senate, following which it will be voted upon.

“NRIs have reason to breathe a sigh of relief as the final draft of the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ proposes just 1% tax on remittances, as against 3.5% earlier. Originally, the bill sought a 5% remittance tax but the final House version lowered it to 3.5%. However, the US Senate draft has lowered it further,” read a Times of India report, dated June 28, 2025. A similar Financial Express report, dated June 30, 2025, can be seen here.

According to The Politico, a proposed tax on remittances that’s reportedly kicked up a good amount of controversy would further shrink to 1% under the latest draft of Senate Republicans’ mega bill, down from the 3.5% they had previously considered, and well off the 5% charge House Republicans approved last month as part of their version of the plan.

Screengrab of the Inside Congress Live page, dated June 28, 2025, on the Politico website.

None of these reports nor the draft of the bill state that “no immigrant can remit money back to their own country”, as claimed in the viral news report, further proving it to be false.

Understanding Remittance Tax And Need For US Documentation

Newschecker came across this June 25, 2025 explainer by India Currents, a major US-based Indian-American magazine, headlined, “Citizenship Verification Requirement To Send Money Home Raises Alarm Among Indian Americans”.

“Buried in the expansive ‘One Big Beautiful”’ bill is a little-noticed provision that could have major consequences for the Indian diaspora. The clause introduces a 3.5% tax [article published before the proposed reduction] on remittances sent abroad by foreign workers, including green card holders and temporary visa holders such as those on H-1B visas,” read the article, citing a case study to state that while U.S. citizens are technically exempt from the tax, they still need to verify their citizenship status.

We also came across this June 3, 2025  article on the remittance tax by CompareRemit, a US-based comprehensive online platform, where users can compare, choose, and review exchange rates, transfer fees, and other information from money transfer service providers, all in one place.

 “The bill introduces a 3.5% tax on funds transferred internationally by individuals who are not US citizens. This tax, which applies to transfers made through banks, licensed money transfer operators, and other official channels, will impact a wide range of non-citizens who send money overseas, including people with green cards, holders of work or study visas, temporary residents living in the US, lawful permanent residents,” read the report, which further confirms that only US citizens have to give proof of citizen status to get an exemption from a 3.5 % remittance tax, while also contradicting the viral claim that no immigrant can remit money back to their own country. 

Also Read: No, Zohran Mamdani Is Not The NYC Mayor Yet

Conclusion

A fake news report stating that US president Donald Trump has announced that “no immigrant can remit money back to their own country” was shared as real.

Sources
Resemble Deepfake Detector
Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector
The Hindu report, June 28, 2025
Times of India report, June 28, 2025
Financial Express report, June 28, 2025
India Current report, June 25, 2025
Compare Remit article,  June 3, 2025
The Politico article, June 28, 2025