Undocumented Immigrants in Barcelona Face Harsh Realities and Police Crackdowns

The newspaper 20 minutes, in its Spanish version, retraces the lives of three undocumented persons, originally from Senegal. Mustafa Thiaw, Babacar Ndoye and Maria are struggling to survive in a world where they struggle to find their place in the sun.

"The large police force deployed by the municipal government to prevent unauthorized street sales has pushed them to make their voices heard, reminding that the irregular situation of the manteros did not allow them to work, in accordance with the law, and that they had no choice but to seek life outside the established norms," the same source indicates.

Indeed, these three undocumented persons went out into the streets of Barcelona with hundreds of people shouting: "Papers for all!" and "Surviving is not a crime!". Even if they are in an irregular situation, there are specificities that differentiate them.

Mustafa Thiaw, 21, has lived in the Catalan capital for three years with his brothers. He says he has a father who has Spanish nationality, but it has been impossible for him to obtain a temporary residence permit for more than two years. Maria, 30, has lived in the city for seven years. Her hope is to get out of the prevailing precariousness in which she is immersed.

As for Babacar Ndoye, a member of the Popular Union of Street Vendors, he managed to regularize his situation after six years spent in Barcelona without papers, according to the same source. For him, the manteros "seek to live in dignity, without stealing or begging" and are asking for a "massive regularization" to resolve the situation of the undocumented in Spain and street vendors in particular.