Valiente Bangla: Bangladeshi Migrants Mobilize for Immigrants Rights in Spain

Bangladeshi migration to Spain is resurging due to declining economic opportunities and political instabilities in Bangladesh. While a long standing community began to form in the 1980s, due to Spain’s liberal immigration laws, the community size ebbed and flowed as migrants moved to other parts of Europe. But as immigration laws have become restrictive in other parts of Europe, Bangladeshi migration to Spain has increased exponentially in the last five years. This paper focuses on a community based organization called Valiente Bangla/Brave Bangla, based in Madrid, that was formed after a successful mobilization to stop the deportation of 34 Bangladeshi nationals in Cueta, Spain. The presentation draws on ethnographic research conducted as a Fulbright Scholar in Spain in 2023 to share some insights on how a relatively new migrant community, despite linguistic, cultural, and other socio-economic barriers, have been able to successfully win human rights for migrants.