Mónica Salmón Gómez is a Ph.D. Student in Sociology at the New School for Social Research and a fellow at the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility. She holds an MA in Sociology from NSSR, an MA in Social Science from the University of Guadalajara, and a BA in International Relations from ITESO in Guadalajara, Mexico. She works at the intersection of border and feminist studies, forced migration, racialization of migrant illegality, and transnationalism. Her research seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexities of migration experiences, elucidating the intricate web of social, cultural, and political factors that shape individuals' journeys and their subsequent perceptions of these phenomena. Her groundbreaking research sheds light on the myriad ways people on the move navigate and interpret their experiences, ultimately enriching our understanding of the current dynamics of mobility.

Mónica’s dissertation research focuses on the trajectories of (im)mobility of people on the move, allowing her to delve into the complex migratory dynamics within the Americas’ migratory corridor. By adopting an ethnographic approach that follows trajectories of (im)mobility of these individuals, Monica provides a unique interpretative tool to elucidate a broader understanding of how the border regime operates at a micro and macro level in the region and elicits how categories and labels such as undocumented, illegal, refugee, and asylum seeker are regionalized, racialized, and gendered forms of stratification accounting for dynamics of exclusion/inclusion with and beyond the realm of the nation-state. This ethnographic research project builds upon Mónica's extensive experience working with migrants and refugees, as well as her preliminary fieldwork conducted at the Mexican border with Guatemala in the Summer of 2019. Over the course of four years, Mónica has dedicated herself to following the trajectories of (im)mobility, even during the most challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic.