The storms, drought, and pandemic have sparked food shortages throughout Central America.

Violence among gangs in Honduras also rages, even in rural areas, forcing residents to flee to el Norte.

Shelters in Mexico also are reporting a surge in Central American migrants.

“We have a tremendous flow and there isn’t capacity. The situation could get out of control,” said Gabriel Romero, a priest who runs a migrant shelter in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco, told The Associated Press.