Responses to Extreme Temperatures: Migrant Networks and International Migration from El Salvador

Ana Ibáñez, Juliana Quigua, Maria Jimena Romero and Andrea Velásquez

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2026, vol. 18, issue 2, 212-41

Abstract: We show that exposure to extreme temperatures significantly increases international migration from El Salvador, where nearly a quarter of the population lives in the United States. Extreme temperatures reduce corn yields, leading producers to decrease their use of postharvest inputs and demand for agricultural workers. These income losses, combined with established US migration networks, increase emigration. Our findings highlight how international migration serves as a response to extreme temperatures when destination networks are strong and migration remains financially feasible. This pattern is not unique to El Salvador: Roughly 30 million farms globally are in low-income settings with access to remittances.

JEL-codes: F24 J15 J23 J43 O15 Q12 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1257/pol.20230447

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