Our purpose

The goal of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) is to ensure that Minneapolis is a safe and welcoming place for all. Our office is in the Department of Neighborhood & Community Relations, and supports the City's One Minneapolis goal to “eliminate disparities so that all Minneapolis residents can participate and prosper."

Learn how we engage the many cultural communities of Minneapolis.

Our principal responsibilities are to:

• Inform City leaders about federal immigration developments and advise on policy initiatives to support affected residents.
• Equip community members with information regarding immigration developments, positioning them to protect and defend their rights.
• Educate residents about existing resources to address immigration issues and other needs, whether through local government or through legal, social service or other nonprofit organizations.

The Office takes a proactive, coordinated, enterprise-wide approach to accomplish the following:

• Enhance the civic and social integration of immigrant and refugee communities.
• Promote economic development and ensure access to resources and programs within immigrant and refugee communities across Minneapolis.
• Collaborate with federal, state and local governing bodies, nonprofit organizations and community stakeholders on immigrant and refugee issues, programs and policies.
• Advocate for continued immigration reforms at all levels of government to eliminate inequities.
• Provide relevant, accurate information and education—including community resources—to residents regarding significant issues that impact immigrants and refugees.
• Ensure that Minneapolis remains a welcoming city for immigrants, refugees and existing residents.

Responsibilities of the Office include:

• Educate policy-makers, City departments and the public on the needs of immigrant and refugee communities, and represent the City in the public discourse around immigration with constructive messages.
• Analyze the impact of City programs and policies on immigrant and refugee communities, and recommend improvements.
• Lead a multi-departmental team to create programs and activities that strengthen the City’s immigrant and refugee communities.
• Manage referrals to community organizations that serve immigrants and refugees, providing information and contacts.
• Support the establishment of an Immigrant and Refugee Commission upon approval of City Council.
• Build strategic, meaningful relationships with stakeholders and the larger community to advocate on behalf of immigrant and refugee families.
• Coordinate work with the department’s community specialists concerning immigrant and refugee initiatives.
• Support the City’s membership and activities with local, regional, national and international networks, collaborations and organizations.

Community engagement and research

To build awareness and inform the work of our office, the Neighborhood and Community Relations Department and OIRA interviewed stakeholders and convened community round tables. Information from this process defines OIRA's scope of work. From these conversations, these issues emerged as focus areas:

• Policy
• Communications
• Economic advancement
• Strategy
• Promotion of values
• Citizenship
• Advocacy
• Cultural work and healing
• Housing