Venezuelan woman with flag. Photo by Morgan Smith
Morgan Smith
SFWAF News:
For decades the US has attracted migrants from around the world, but especially numerous are those who have crossed, or attempted to cross, the southern border from Mexico. US immigration policies have fluctuated but as migration increased, laws and their enforcement have tightened making it more difficult for asylum seekers and economic migrants to immigrate to the US through Mexico. Who are these migrants? Where do they come from? Why? Has the migrant flow been stemmed by the Trump administration policies? What are the implications in the US and elsewhere? How does this fit into the larger picture of US-Mexican relations? What happens to those refused entry? What do the migrants need most? What humanitarian groups are the most active on the border? How do asylum courts fit into the picture? Is CBP the only agency patrolling the border?
Morgan Smith is a freelance writer and photographer who has been working with organizations and individuals in Juárez, Anapra and Palomas, Mexico as well as El Paso, Texas and Deming, New Mexico for the past 15 years on programs and activities involved in assisting border communities deal with the migration flow along the US-Mexican border. He has written articles for the Denver Post, the Santa Fe New Mexican, El Paso Inc, the Albuquerque Journal, El Comercio do Colorado and Desert Exposure based on his experiences. He will illustrate this talk with photos he has taken during his trips.
A lawyer by training, Mr. Smith served as a Volunteer mediator in Denver County Courts and Director of the Legal Clinic at El Centro Humanitario de Los Trabajadores. He was president of the American Society of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Director of the Colorado International Trade Office, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture and Executive Director of Auraria Higher Education Center, Colorado’s largest campus.
He began his career as a public defender, attorney and as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives. He has organized fund-raising campaigns for projects in Mexico, was former board chairman of the Maria Benitez Institute for Spanish Arts and has received numerous awards including the University of Colorado Distinguished Service Award, and the Citizen Diplomat Award from the Institute of International Education in New York City. He is fluent in Spanish, a graduate of Harvard University and has his JD from the University of Colorado School of Law.
To Register
The cost for this lunch program is $26 for SFWAF members and $36 for non-members. You may either pay by check made out to SFWAF and mailed to the Santa Fe World Affairs Forum, PO Box 31965, Santa Fe, NM 87594 or by credit card through Paypal. Please indicate on your check – or if using Paypal (“add special instructions to the seller”) that your payment is for the Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 program: https://sfwaf.org/payment/
If you are not a member, please include your best contact information. If you are interested in membership, please email us: sfwaforum@outlook.com
Payment for this program is nonrefundable after Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. We strongly prefer that payment be made by Paypal or check postmarked by Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, to facilitate check-in. If you are mailing a check, please also email us at sfwaforum@outlook.com to be sure we know you plan to attend.
Location
SFCC Board Room (#223) is in the West Wing (Administration Building). The college is located at 6401 Richards Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87508. Enter through the building’s main entrance (on the left side of the building behind the flag poles). The Board Room is on the corridor to the left of the Campus Center.
Directions
From Rodeo Road turn south onto Richards Avenue. Turn into the campus main drive. Parking lots are in front of the building. From I-25 take the Cerrillos Road exit, turn east onto Governor Miles Road and then right onto Richards Avenue. Then follow directions above.