During the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books panel recorded on April 20, 2024, moderator Steve Padilla led a profound discussion on the human cost of the global immigration and refugee crisis. Featuring authors Hasmin Ua, Amelia Frank-vitale, and Jeanne Carstensen, the conversation explored the deeply personal narratives behind geopolitical border struggles. The authors began by sharing their early literary influences, tracking how a love for storytelling evolved into a commitment to immersive, empathetic documentation of displaced populations.
Jeanne Carstensen detailed her research into a tragic 2015 shipwreck off the Greek island of Lesvos, emphasizing the individuality of the victims to counter systemic government indifference. Hasmin Ua discussed her historical exploration of El Paso, framing the border zone as a cultural portal and an “open wound” while reflecting on the trauma of covering the 2019 white supremacist Walmart shooting in her hometown. Shifting focus to Central America, anthropologist Amelia Frank-vitale shared insights from Honduras, demonstrating how local neighborhoods are strictly divided by invisible gang territories. She argued that punitive enforcement and deportation do not deter migration but rather multiply it, forcing individuals into cyclical displacement. Collectively, the panelists emphasized the power of grassroots civil society, the resilience of migrant networks, and the vital importance of looking past sterile statistics to honor the stubborn agency of human beings navigating bordered worlds.