Though homicide rates have broadly declined, a rise in some crimes like extortion have boosted candidates calling for strong-arm tactics against crime and immigration.

At the start of this decade, Latin America leaned left as progressive politicians gained power amid public outrage over inequities worsened by the pandemic.

Right-wing populists have been making headway in some of Latin America’s biggest economies, promising a strong-arm approach to combatting crime and illegal immigration as an…