The US is telling migrants “don’t come.” They might not be listening.

Kamala Harris had a clear message for migrants during her first foreign visit as vice president to Guatemala: “Do not come.”

Tasked with addressing the root causes of migration from Central America, she said during a speech on Monday that her goal is to “help Guatemalans find hope at home” while also discouraging them from attempting to make the journey north.

“I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come. Do not come,”...