Recent migrations show unprecedented characteristics in terms of migratory routes, individual profiles of migrants and condition of isolation in arrival contexts. Combining sociolinguistic and linguistic perspectives, the article reconstructs the forms of linguistic contact between local and migrant populations in one of the main gateways to Europe, Palermo (Italy), and the specific conditions of local language acquisition by newcomers. It is argued that notions of (im)mobility and segregation must be included in migration-centred linguistic research.