Immigrant & Refugee Affairs

HRCP Immigrant & Refugee Affairs partners with nonprofits, community-based organizations, residents, and government agencies to develop and implement policies, practices and programs that influence the various paths of immigrant integration.

  • If you are an immigrant or refugee, you can find valuable resources and information from local nonprofits libraries  and government agencies 
  • If you are a community-based organization, non-profit, government agency, office or department, we would love to work with you whatever your needs may be.
  • We would love to chat about how collaboration and partnership can be used to increase community impact and reach. We would be happy to talk about the challenges and opportunities your clients and customers face in order to recommend the appropriate city agency. In which dialogue, recommendation, and partnership can lead to action.
  • If you are a government agency, office, or department, we can help your agency develop a greater understanding of the immigrant and refugee community's needs in Denver, share best practices, and recommended strategies for outreach.
 

Denver City Guide

The New Denver City Guide is now available in 6 languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Amharic, Lingala, and Vietnamese! This guide is meant to assist you in understanding some of the benefits and services offered by your city.

Language Access

The Language Access Program ensures that all City and County of Denver community members have equal access to programs, services, and activities, regardless of English proficiency.

Learn More

Meet The Team

Atim Otii, Director

Headshot of Atim Otii

 Atim Otii is the Director for the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. She is a leader in immigration   integration and has helped thousands of immigrants throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Prior to joining the   city, Otii served as the Immigration Legal Services Director for Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains for   six years, where she led several immigrant focused programs from direct legal representation to social service   support in Colorado and New Mexico. Previously, Otii was in private practice, where she successfully   represented immigrants in family-based immigration, asylum and naturalization law, and removal defense. Otii   as served with the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Colorado Lawyers Committee   Immigration Task Force, offered trainings on immigrant rights and integration, and provided technical assistance and advocacy locally, nationally and internationally. Otii was born and raised in Denver. Her parents came from northern Uganda as refugees. She earned her Juris Doctor from the Washburn University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University, where she was also a student athlete.

Melissa G. Burton, Esq., Immigration Policy Analyst

Tsigereda Feseha, Community Integregration Coordinator

Tsigereda Feseha joined HRCP’s Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs in November of 2022. Soon after earning her BA in English Literature from the University of Northern Colorado, Tsigereda begin working for the Global Refugee Center, now known as Immigrant & Refugee Center of Northern Colorado.  After moving to Denver, she worked in higher education for eight years before coming upon the opportunity to, once again, work in the field she’s most passionate about; giving back to community through service. Tsigereda looks forward to being of service and helping to create positive integration experiences for immigrant & refugee communities as well as receiving communities. 

Deena Duwaik, Language Access Planner

Working in service of community has been Deena Duwaik's focus for the last 10 years, spanning spaces around the world such as Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, Thailand, and Kenya. Coming from a family of Palestinian refugees, Deena has a special place in her heart for immigrant and refugee communities. Today, Deena supports government agencies as they cultivate the most inclusive language access plan for their programs that serve and reach diverse community members, as the Language Access Planner. Previously, Deena was the Development Manager at an anti-hunger organization for 5 years where she worked to eradicate system barriers to food, housing, employment, and more for marginalized and underrepresented communities. In 2022, she became the first person in her family to pursue a post-graduate degree, receiving her Master of Public Administration and Policy. Deena is a lover of cats, weightlifting, chess, The Mummy movie franchise, and conversations around justice. 

Nydia Gomez, Program Coordinator

Connect with Us!

CONTACT OUR TEAM

201 West Colfax Avenue, Dept. 1102 - 3rd Floor

Denver, CO 80202

TTY: (720) 913-8457
Fax: (720) 913-8470

immigrants@denvergov.org

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Quick Links

Language Access

Languages we offer resources on:
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese), русский (Russian), မြန်မာ (Burmese), 中文 (Chinese), فارسی (Farsi),
አማርኛ (Amharic), ကညီကျိာ်, K'nyaw (Karen), Español (Spanish), नेपाली (Nepali), عربى (Arabic), Somaliyeed (Somali), Français (French), فارسی (Dari), پښتو (Pashto), ትግርኛ (Tigrinya)

Community Resources

Federal information: Agencies, Financial Resources, and Travel Ban information

Local information: Immigration and Citizenship resources, Welcoming Newcomer information, and local organizations.

Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund

Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund: Non-profit organizations are encouraged to apply for this grant.

Denver Immigrant & Refugee Commission

The Denver Immigrant and Refugee Commission advocates for the immigrant and refugee communities of the City of Denver

Immigrant Integration Sponsorship Program

The Immigrant Integration Sponsorship is bringing diverse communities together by funding projects that are community crafted and implemented. Funding is made available for small, community-driven projects designed to bridge immigrant and receiving communities, create stronger and more connected neighborhoods, address community needs, and foster community.

My City Academy

My City Academy is a program created to empower immigrant and refugee residents to participate and connect with the City & County of Denver. My City Academy connects participants with individuals in city agencies and offices, teaches them about the services, resources & benefits available, and how to access those services.

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