Welcoming Week
By Anisa Hajimumin, Assistant Commissioner for Immigrant and Refugee Affairs The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is proud to participate in Welcoming Week September 12-20, a national initiative to celebrate and affirm the importance of inclusivity and connections for immigrants, refugees and long-term residents of Minnesota. As an agency, we focus on workforce and economic development and know firsthand the positive impact of immigrants and refugees on our state’s community and economic development. My role as the Assistant Commissioner for Immigrant and Refugee Affairs is central to helping the State of Minnesota make connections and create pathways for workers and business owners to be successful. I wanted to join DEED because I saw real barriers that immigrant and refugee business owners face in Minnesota. In my previous role as a consultant, I helped people connect to state information and resources. Many immigrant and refugee business owners were relying on other people to help them know what forms to fill out or what fees to pay and how to grow their businesses. I saw a real opportunity to work with state agencies to improve access to information for our immigrant and refugee communities and bring people together. In…