Joe Biden appoints first Somali to senior position
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American president Joe Biden has appointed a Somali man to a senior position in the US Government.
In a statement released Monday by the Minnesota Department of Homeland Security, Hamse thanked President Joe Biden for his appointment.
“As I prepare to represent the entire American people, I am grateful to friends, colleagues and family for their support of my public work.”
Hamse joins the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Office of Population, Refugees and Immigration, whose job it is to protect Internally Displaced Peoples.
This office also assists the president in determining the number of refugees coming to the United States each year.
The office also provides funding for refugee resettlement agencies.
Hamse came to the United States as a refugee in 1994. He studied political science and administration. In 2014 he published a book called America Here I Come: A Somali Refugee’s Quest for Hope.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has appointed Hamse as deputy chairman of the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) in 2019.
“I am confident that Hamse will serve the people of the United States in the same manner as he did with the dignity, political experience and leadership of the people he served in Minnesota,” said President Walz.
