IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 8 ENGLISH | Page 65

removal (in 2004) of the restrictions
imposed by the so-called Videla Law
(No. 22.439), a remnant of the last
military dictatorship (1976-1983). A
new and more flexible law came into
force in 2010, but acquiring residence
continues to be a mess for many migrants outside the Mercosur area. Before the 1990s Senegal had no connection with Argentina, but the restrictions
on immigration in the North re-directed
to certain countries of the South, such as
Brazil and Argentina, the flows of
migrants who failed to enter Europe or
the United States. Thus, Argentina
already has the largest Senegalese
community throughout Latin America,
with an estimated of three thousand
members. They add up to more than one
thousand Nigerians and other small subSaharan communities. The quantification is problematic due to the mobility
and the underreporting of migrants. The
National Census showed 1,883 in 2001
and 2,738 in 2010, i.e., a meager 0.15%
of all foreigners (1,805,957). Almost
three-quarters settled in the city of
Buenos Aires and in the homonymous
province, after arriving from neighboring countries, especially Brazil, Bolivia
and Paraguay, with a tourist visa. Others
came as refugees or in an irregular
manner, whether through the porosity of
the borders or as stowaways on ships.
Many also came directly by plane. The
majority are young men aged 20 to 40
years, many of them single or coming
alone without their families, which they
will gradually bring. Their occupations
are diverse: from teachers, servants or
store employees to dancers of African
rhythms, but they are more visible on
the street selling jewelry, clothing and
other items such as sunglasses and

wallets. According to local survey, no
Senegalese had been in prison until
2012.
Symbolic and physical violence
Argentina remains faithful to the European model of the late