In 2018, documentary photographer Cory Zimmerman first encountered the migrant caravans as they arrived at a makeshift migrant camp set up on a soccer field in the heart of Mexico City.

Between a Sword & a Wall is both a visual record and a personal reflection on that journey, which took me north to the US border, but south, following the trail to the origin: Central America, and the highlands of Guatemala.

Central America’s Northern Triangle—El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—is among the deadliest regions on earth. Since the 1980s, 85% of Central American immigrants arriving at the US southern border have come from this area. The region is plagued by violent conflicts, systemic corruption, economic disparities, and environmental crises, all of which have fueled massive migration north, particularly since late 2018, as asylum r ...