"Omar, a 38-year-old immigrant from Guinea, shows the wire he has recovered in Barcelona, Spain on October 24, 2007. 'Chatarra', as the collecting of scrap metal is called in Spanish, is one of the safest ways for illegal immigrants to make money since they don't need a work permit to do it. Because they are only recycling found materials, they are not breaking any laws and the police don�t harass them. It is, however, extremely competitive, as there are many other groups also looking for scrap metal, including immigrants from Latin America, Eastern Europe and Roma gypsies. " ©Charlie Mahoney

Omar, a 38-year-old immigrant from Guinea, shows the wire he has recovered in Barcelona, Spain on October 24, 2007. 'Chatarra', as the collecting of scrap metal is called in Spanish, is one of the safest ways for illegal immigrants to make money since they don't need a work permit to do it. Because they are only recycling found materials, they are not breaking any laws and the police don�t harass them. It is, however, extremely competitive, as there are many other groups also looking for scrap metal, including immigrants from Latin America, Eastern Europe and Roma gypsies.