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VIDEO: Immigrant Group Charters Party Bus for International Migrants Day

By Katie Honan | December 19, 2014 11:56am
Immigrants Group Travels by Party Bus to Raise Awareness
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DNAinfo/Katie Honan

CORONA — An immigrant and labor group hosted a bus tour Thursday to highlight issues in their community — from overcrowded schools to police violence — in honor of International Migrants Day.

La Fuente, a worker and community group, chartered a party bus and began the tri-borough journey in Corona Plaza in Queens Thursday morning.

International Migrants Day has been observed by the United Nations on Dec. 18 since 1990.

“Our goal is to focus on the needs of immigrants here in New York City,” said Lucia Gomez, the executive director of La Fuente.

Some of those issues include school overcrowding in Corona, which has a bigger problem that any other neighborhood in the city.

 The bus traveled through three boroughs to highlight immigrant issues. 
The bus traveled through three boroughs to highlight immigrant issues. 
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DNAinfo/Katie Honan

“In Corona immigrant families and families in general want a fair share of resources for their children,” said Andrea Pulas, 25, who has been a member of La Fuente for six months.

“It’s just schools and libraries, it’s not asking for the moon.”

The bus, which had a DJ and disco lights, drove to Times Square where it met up with costumed characters who may soon be required to wear a photo identification card and pay a registration fee to ask tourists for photos.

The bus then traveled to Washington Heights to discuss municipal ID cards, and made a final stop in the South Bronx to discuss police brutality, organizers said.

La Fuente member Puro Bido said discussing the obstacles they may face will help other immigrants in the future.

“As people settle into communities and form families, our elected representatives have a responsibility to remove these obstacles so new immigrants can integrate into the communities in which they settle,” he said.