Jordan Alcasas
Social Media Editor
Jason De León explored the global picture around immigration and often neglected nuances of the complicated issue during his lecture Wednesday in the Morgan Auditorium, before about 100 La Verne community members.
The talk for the annual Frederick Douglass Human Rights Lecture also covered his book “Soldiers and Kings,” about the stories of Honduran smugglers moving migrants across Mexico.
De León explained the difference between smugglers and traffickers, along with the bigger issues that immigration is tied to, such as climate change, and issues, such as the increasing lack of resources in some areas, that lead to people immigrating from those areas.
“It’s important to decenter America and Trump and think about the things we are experiencing in a global migration crisis,” De León said. “I want to think about migration from a variety of contexts and de-center it from this country.”
De León delved into a story where he attended a Trump rally in 2016 out of curiosity and later found it to be a window into the future of the United States. To him, this rally showcased the prevalence of American anxiety in terms of race, class and gender that existed at that time and exists now.
“Everything happening at the U.S. border is a smokescreen for bigger issues that we often do not see or they do not want us to see,” De León said.
In De León’s book, he tells the stories of Honduran smugglers from his experience with them. One of the key points is that smugglers are not the same as traffickers, as those being smuggled are willing participants, and oftentimes smugglers are in the same position as the migrant, doing what they can to get by in the world.
Migrants often have to hire people who are willing to take necessary action in order to survive, even with the difficulty involved. Smugglers are necessary and lifesaving in cases like these, with some even preferring to think of themselves guides instead of as smugglers, a much more charged word.
“If you are a student of history like I am, border walls are no match for a human determination to live,” De León said. “Our species’ ability to survive is to search for new environments and habitats.”
De León delved further into the book later on, where he told the true story of Chino and Jesmyn, a smuggler and a migrant respectively. In their story, Chino and Jesmyn fall in love, with both deciding they want to settle down eventually.
Through the story, Chino is bold and frequently tempts death, whether it be through his job or the unsafe activities he participates in, such as running across train tops. Jesmyn, however, is strong-willed and well-aware of the circumstances of hiring a smuggler, along with what her journey will entail. The story seeks to humanize the two of them as more than just a migrant and smuggler and explore the relationship between smugglers and death.
“People ask why I would study the bad guys, and my response is that smugglers are always there, and yet their voices are very quiet,” De León said. “You cannot talk about undocumented migration without smuggling, despite the role they play. It is crucial, it is a billion dollar industry.”
Audience members found the lecture insightful and perspective-shifting on the issue of immigration.
“I thought it was incredibly interesting when he distinguished between smugglers and traffickers,” La Verne resident Diedre Vail said. “I didn’t think of it in terms of seeking out versus being victimized by. Maybe with the hopelessness of the smugglers, they’re in the same predicament and trying to survive.”
Others said the presentation of the information was as important as the content, as it made it easier to digest.
“I think one of the things that was really helpful was thinking about how he incorporates his previous work in archaeology and cultural anthropology,” said Lauren Crossland-Marr, assistant professor of anthropology. “It’s difficult because oftentimes we make things more complex, but by accessing these stories we can add faces to the issue.”
Jordan Alcasas can be reached at jordan.alacasas@laverne.edu.
Jordan Alcasas is a sophomore journalism major with a concentration in print and online journalism. He is the news editor for the Campus Times, and previously served as social media editor and a staff writer.
Olivia Russo is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print/online journalism and a minor in criminology. She is the Editor-in-Chief for the Campus Times for Spring 2026. She has previously served as the News Editor, LV Life Editor, a photographer and a staff writer for the Campus Times, as well as a staff writer and photographer for La Verne Magazine.
