The “vagabond” comes across as an archaic figure, a relic that can be found only in law books. In political anxieties and the criminalization of certain types of mobility, “illegal migrants” have long replaced this forgotten Other. Nevertheless, this chapter argues for the relevance of comparing these two distinct historical figures of the Other. Looking at the resurgence of the charge of vagrancy on the island of Malta, a legacy of British rule over the island that is now primarily used against sub-Saharan migrants reaching the shores of Europe, I explore what makes such an association conceivable for local police and judicial actors. Drawing primarily on an original collection of archival documents and judgments from both the turn of the twentieth century and the last decade, I highlight the role of state authorities and their attempts to organize the working world in creating otherness. Departing from a literature that focuses chiefly on border control, I argue that state efforts to regulate local capitalism still largely contribute to the distinction between the “virtuous” individuals who occupy their expected place in the realm of production, and their “illegal” Others.