A recent survey commissioned by the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank, found that Caribbean and Latin American immigrants are sending a record amount of money home to their families. This year, it is estimated that immigrants will send over $30 billion home, which is more money than these countries receive from foreign aid and in foreign investment. The money goes directly to the immigrants families, not to the government or to commercial enterprises, and international financial institutions and development agencies want to figure out how that money can be used to have a broader economic impact.
See "Latin Migrants to U.S. Send Billions Home", Elizabeth Becker, The New York Times, May 17, 2004