My name is Julio Salgado and I am a mixed-media artist based in Long Beach, CA. As both a digital illustrator and a writer, I use both mediums to speak, document, and imagine the lives of undocumented and queer immigrants in this country. As a queer and undocumented immigrant myself, I’ve ached for our stories to be able to exist without the fear from those who hate us because of who we are.
Journalism/Media, Other
Digital Media, Illustration
Julio Salgado
(562) 313-5892
juliosalgado83@gmail.com
More Than My Immigration Status
(2025)
As undocumented immigrants, a lot of our survival revolves around the fear of what can happen due to our immigration status. But I want to remind us that there is joy in our community and we are indeed more than the lack of a piece of paper.
Break My Heart
(2023)
Immigrants have a love/hate relationship with this country. In this image, I compare that relationship to staying in a toxic relationship where one hopes the other person might change.
Sigo Siendo El Gay
(2022)
Inspired by lyrics from the Vicente Fernandez' song El Rey, this image is a reminder of the constant clash of both my queer and Mexican cultures. Before Fernandez died, he said some homophobic things about our community. Yet, this song reminds me so much of home.
Sober Daily 42
(2025)
Sober Daily is a daily comic I post on my IG where I share my thoughts on sobriety. I've been sober for over four years now and there's still a lot of stigma in our communities about the topic.
