ABSTRACT
The crimmigration concept captures how criminal justice and immigration enforcement systems become ever more conflated to entangle undocumented lives in multifaceted, cumulative forms of repression. These trends, however, have gone hand in hand with the proliferation of solidarity practices aimed to achieve inclusive social change. The central argument of this chapter is that crimmigration and solidarity are conflicting yet mutually feeding dynamics of an eminently urban character. The city is, in fact, where the plight of undocumented immigrants is especially acute, but also the most fertile breeding ground for subverting the status quo by weaving networks of support. Based on assorted qualitative data, the chapter examines the struggle of Barcelona’s mostly West African street vendors as an emblematic case of these ambivalent urban dynamics. It shows how these workers have resisted various forms of economic, legal, judicial, and sociopolitical repression through a strategy of informal unionization—ultimately becoming vocal political subjects at the city level and beyond. These findings suggest that the urban space is the most prominent battleground for both the repression and the emancipation of undocumented immigrants.
