President Barack Obama has urged the leaders of three Central American countries to work with him to stem the flow of child migrants who have surged across the US border and warned that most of them would not be allowed to stay.

In a White House meeting with the leaders of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, Obama had a tough-love message: his administration had compassion for the children, but not many would qualify for humanitarian relief or refugee status. Many of the migrants have fled poverty and crime at home.

The meeting came as Obama struggles to contain a border crisis triggered by the tens of thousands of children who have crossed the Texas border with Mexico in recent months. They have overwhelmed border resources and put election-year pressure on Obama to resolve it.

“There may be some narrow circumstances in which there is a humanitarian or refugee status that a family might be eligible for,” Obama said after talks with the leaders. “But I think it’s important to recognize that that would not necessarily accommodate a large number.”

Obama also said it is important to find solutions “that prevent smugglers from making money on families that feel desperate” and that make a dent in poverty in Central America. He would like to improve the US legal immigration system in a way that “makes this underground migration system less necessary.”

Obama and presidents Otto Perez Molina of Guatemala, Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras and Salvador Sanchez Ceren of El Salvador agreed to work together.