Amelia Frank-Vitale, "Leave If You Can: Migration and Violence in Bordered Worlds" (U California Press, 2026)

In this compelling episode of The New Books Network, host Rachel Newman speaks with Amelia Frank-Vitale about her groundbreaking 2026 book, *Leave If You Can: Migration and Violence in Bordered Worlds*. Drawing from years of ethnographic research in Honduras and Mexico, Frank-Vitale explores how urban violence, gang control, and state abandonment create 'bordered worlds' where everyday life for young people resembles incarceration. She reveals how invisible neighborhood borders in cities like San Pedro Sula function as deadly, carceral zones enforced by gangs, mirroring the logic of state border regimes. The book reframes migration not as a crisis but as a rational response to systemic precarity, with stories like 'mañana me mando, mañana me vengo' illustrating the relentless cycle of deportation and return. Frank-Vitale also examines the role of NGOs, migrant caravans, and shifting U.S. immigration policy, arguing that enforcement tactics—especially under recent administrations—have intensified violence without deterring migration. Despite dramatic policy shifts and heightened rhetoric, her research shows that for many, migration remains the only viable path to safety and dignity. The conversation underscores the emotional and structural forces driving migration, emphasizing the importance of listening to migrants’ own words and lived experiences. Frank-Vitale’s use of Honduran Spanish in the text preserves authenticity and deepens understanding. She reflects on how her own upbringing in a stigmatized U.S. city shaped her empathetic approach to research. The episode concludes with a call to reframe migration not as a threat, but as a survival strategy in a world where borders—both physical and social—are increasingly deadly. The book and its insights remain urgently relevant in a time of escalating immigration enforcement and global displacement.