Foreword: ​

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The Covid-19 pandemic, while not far in the past, has increasingly faded into the background due to fast-paced news cycles and collective forgetting in the face of ongoing change. However, the pandemic had significant impacts on global migration and im/mobility in the Global North and South, effects that are still felt today. For this issue, Routed showcases the work of researchers connected through a German Research Foundation (DFG) network. This research highlights the diverse impacts of the pandemic, presented here as the bad, the ugly and the silver lining. 

The bad: The pandemic affected the living conditions of refugees and migrants in a multitude of ways. Already challenging situations were further exacerbated by restrictions on access to asylum, precarious housing conditions, including in refugee camps, and legal uncertainties, many of which persist to this day.

The ugly: Border closures, pushbacks, and heightened surveillance mechanisms were aimed at controlling mobility and curbing the spread of the virus. As a result, there was an increase in securitisation and control of refugees and migrants. Despite greater visibility of many of the inequalities in mobility, structural injustices have not been resolved, and in many cases even worsened in the aftermath of the pandemic.

The silver lining: Despite the negative developments, the pandemic also provided an opportunity to reflect on past empirical experiences and new perspectives. It was an opportunity for activists to mobilise, build solidarity and push for new boundaries, and for many migrant communities to display their resilience.  

These questions are at the core of the DFG-funded network: Migration and Im/Mobility in the Global South during a Pandemic. The network brings together a diverse group of scholars from various disciplines with the goal of exploring the complex dynamics in this field. The pieces shared here by Routed explore the complex dynamics of migration and im/mobility during the pandemic, offering fresh reflections on the past and present challenges of this period, with an eye to the future. 

We hope the research showcased here is enjoyed by new and regular Routed readers, and can contribute to a broader understanding of the ongoing effects of the pandemic on global migration.

Also this issue: Routed shares a film review of Thomas Ash’s film Ushiku, breaking the silence about immigration detention in Japan; a photo essay by Mae Aguinalda-Mapa about the resilience of Filipinos; and stories of migrants camping in the Colombian beach town of Necocli on their way to the United States, as told by Georgie Pease. 

Stay tuned for more stories and writing about mobility and immobility in 2025!