Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling with Jason De León, UCLA

October 4

4 PM

Hale Science 230

In 2014, Mexico (with financial and logistical support trom the Obama administration) launched Programa Frontera Sur, a security entorcement proiect aimed at stopping Central American migrants from reaching the U.S. Mexico border. In response to this heightened security, migrants have turned to transnational gangs such as MS-13 who have become increasingly involved in the human smuggling industry over the last decade. In this talk I discuss my new book "Soldiers and Kings", a long-term ethnographic study focused on understanding the daily lives of Honduran smugglers who profit from transporting migrants across the length of Mexico. Using the stories of several smugglers, I examine the relationship between transnational gangs and the clandestine migration industry, as well as the difficulties of doing ethnography in this violent and ethically challenging context.