CROSSING OVER.

• Author: Pindado, Encarni
• Position: ON THE LINE

The number of border crossers arriving in the United States via its southern border has soared in recent months, with 132,887 people detained in May. Many of those arriving are coming from Central America.

This migration has intensified because of violence, food insecurity, and a lack of economic opportunity. Many are fleeing countries with sky-high murder rates, including Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. And years of drought are affecting farmers across the region. Entire crops have been lost in Guatemala, where more than half the population lives below the poverty line.

To avoid U.S. tariffs, the Mexican government agreed in...