“No Foreigners”: Migrants’ Experiences of Urban Bordering in the City of Zagreb

This article examines the interplay between non-European migration in the Balkans and the securitization of the European Union's borders, highlighting the diffusion of bordering practices into urban spaces. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Zagreb, Croatia, we explore how migrants' encounters with urban bordering contribute to their experiences of differentiation and exclusion. The article engages with the narratives of migrants and city residents, focusing on examples from Zagreb's Dugave neighborhood. We delve into processes surrounding fencing, policing, spatial segregation, and nightclub bans and highlight that encountering the border plays a crucial role in migrants' urban lives. Ultimately, the article sheds light on the dynamics of urban bordering and social hostility, revealing how the confluence of policies, social attitudes, and physical barriers shapes migrants' experiences and decisions within the urban context of a new transit and arrival city in the European border regime.