New York City is often referred to as a "melting pot" for its diversity and multicultural makeup.

An art exhibit that's currently on display in Brooklyn and Queens highlights the stories of immigrants who are in New York City and how they're contributing to their communities.

"This project started in 2023 when asylum seekers were first coming. We commissioned a poll at that time, and we realized that support for immigrants was declining in New York City. That's a huge deal, because we have been one of the cities that most embrace immigrants," said Su Patel, executive vice president of communications and strategy for the New York Immigration Coalition.

Oscar Castillo is the exhibit's photographer. He said the portraits are critical when there's so much division among people.

According to the New York Immigration Coalition, the large-scale portraits showcase immigrant New Yorkers not as political abstractions, but as neighbors, workers, artists, business owners and community leaders whose lives are inseparable from the story of New York.

"Right now we're fighting demagoguery that says immigrants are some sort of parasitic force. Not at all. Think about all that we contribute. I mean, New York is the place of immigrants. And what I really love about this exhibit is that we all have different narratives, that we're coming here with different stories," said Dr. Camille Uadams, who is an author and one of the people featured in the portraits.

New York Proud will stay in Brooklyn until Oct. 30, and in Queens until Nov. 2. The exhibit will head to Staten Island in March 2027.