
In his new book new book "Dialect," Felipe Romero Beltrán depicts lives of nine Moroccan men living in a Spanish immigration facility. Scroll through the gallery to see more of the images.

Many of the photos speak to the boredom faced by the men, who were undocumented and unable to legally work in Spain.

Part documentary and part performance, the book features staged re-enactments of moments from the men's difficult journeys to Spain.

Beltrán's subjects recreate the moment one of them landed on Spain's coast.

"The system is built to avoid you, or to deny you access to (it)," Beltrán said.

Many of the photos show the men killing time. According to Beltrán, his subjects were required to stay in Spain for three continuous years before applying for residency.

Two of the men carry a third on their shoulders to re-enact the moment he fainted during a day-long walk on his way to Seville, in southern Spain.

The men are pictured working out and giving one another hair cuts. Like many young men their age, they were "really aware of their image," Beltrán said.

Many of the photos focus on conditions at the government-run facility, from peeling walls to basic food supplies.

While living at the government-run facility, the men took Spanish lessons and joined workshops to help them adapt to life in Spain — some of which were run by Beltrán.

Beltrán often turned his lens on conditions inside the facility in which the nine migrants lived.

The men did not know one another before arriving in Spain, though by "spending all day together ... they became really close friends," said Beltrán.

"Dialect," published by Loose Joints, is available now.


