Hundreds Attend Immigrant Resource Fair
By MOHAMED FARGHALY
mfarghaly@queensledger.com
Families and community members filled Paseo Park on 34th Avenue this past Saturday as the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) hosted its Key to the City resource fair — a kickoff event aimed at connecting immigrant New Yorkers with essential items and critical community services.
The fair, organized in partnership with Council Member Shekar Krishnan’s office, brought together more than two dozen organizations offering free resources, from school supplies and sanitary items to legal consultations and healthcare information. According to organizers, about 600 people attended the Jackson Heights event, reflecting the deep demand for support among immigrant families across the city.
“I’ve been with the organization for a little bit over a year,” said Jesus Casado, Director of Community Programming at NYIC. “In my role, I oversee this initiative, which is the key to the city program, which we’ve been running for about 15 years now, with the support of city council at large NYIC is a membership organization, a sort of a coalition that does policy and advocacy work to push for supports for the immigrant community in terms of legislation, campaigns and also direct services, which is one of the areas that I oversee.”
Casado explained that the event’s mission goes beyond distribution — it’s about building awareness and access. “We invite local organizations in the neighborhoods that we visit to table and provide information on the free services and resources that they can do for immigrant communities in the neighborhood,” he said. “In this past event that we had on Saturday, we had a little over 25–30 organizations providing information, swag, resources to our attendees.”
In addition to the fair, NYIC hosted a legal clinic at a nearby school in partnership with the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), providing free consultations to attendees seeking help navigating complex immigration cases.
Jackson Heights was chosen for the kickoff due to its cultural and linguistic diversity. “We’ve had a long-standing partnership with Council Member Shekar Krishnan,” Casado said. “And also, it’s a neighborhood that has a rich, diverse community of people who speak Spanish, Bangladeshi communities. So, it’s a perfect spot.”
“The 15th annual Key to the City Event was an important reminder of the power of our community. We are proud to host this event in partnership with NYIC, which provides our immigrant communities with essential services, including legal assistance, school supplies, clothing, and more. As Donald Trump and ICE stoke fear, we are proud to stand united and fight to ensure that everyone has the resources they need to thrive in Jackson Heights,” said Krishnan of District 25.
For many immigrant families, the challenges of navigating city systems, language barriers, and economic insecurity can be overwhelming. Casado said the fair’s goal is “mostly connecting community members to life-saving resources and services. So it’s for them to learn about what organizations in their local neighborhoods are doing and how they can receive those services from them.”
He noted that some of the most pressing needs include access to legal counsel, food, and education. “The main need that American communities are faced with is legal counsel and legal support,” Casado said. “Another one that we see continuously is access to food. So there’s a lot of food insecurity. Education is another big one. Parents wanting to understand how they can enroll their children to school. What are their rights as immigrants in this country to access education?”
Beyond direct aid, the NYIC also focuses on education and empowerment through “know your rights” presentations and family preparedness resources — helping immigrant families plan for emergencies, including possible detentions.
“Well, I think now more than ever, our programming is instrumental, because there’s a lot of fear and concerns from our community,” Casado said. “So these events are a bridge for people to know that they have allies and they have the communities behind them, supporting them.”
The Key to the City initiative will continue throughout the fall, with the next community resource fair and legal clinic scheduled for October 28 in Manhattan’s Upper West Side in partnership with Council Member Gale Brewer.
Casado said residents can find updates about upcoming fairs through NYIC’s social media platforms and local partner organizations.
“These events show that people are not alone,” he said. “We want to make sure that people have the comfort and the agency to come to our events, take advantage of our services, our resources, and make sure that they’re not alone.”
