Hundreds of thousands of foreign laborers, mostly from South Asian countries, have migrated to Iraq over the past decade to work in a variety of sectors of the economy. Among them are upwards of 250,000 Bangladeshis, with half of them estimated to be undocumented. More recently, there has also been an influx of workers from neighboring Iran and Syria, amid sharp economic downturns in those countries.

Amid the hardships worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, the presence of migrant laborers has caused discontent among many who say foreigners are taking jobs for Iraqis. At the same time, testimonials from migrant workers shed light on the varied reasons for why people are coming to Iraq to find employment...