Jason De Leon

About the Author

Jason De León is an acclaimed anthropologist and author whose work delves into the harrowing realities of human migration, particularly along the U.S.-Mexico border. As the director of the Undocumented Migration Project, he combines rigorous ethnographic research with poignant storytelling to illuminate the dangers and human costs of undocumented journeys. His seminal book, The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail (Volume 36) (California Series in Public Anthropology), draws from years of fieldwork in the Sonoran Desert, exposing the violence of border policies through artifacts, photographs, and survivor testimonies. De León's writing bridges academia and public discourse, advocating for empathy and policy reform while challenging readers to confront the systemic failures that turn migration into a deadly gamble.