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Non-profit

Mi Familia Vota

Location:

PHOENIX, AZ
Tax ID:

81-0668995
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(4)

Budget (2019):

Revenue: $620,327
Expenses: $1,431,523
Assets: $1,739,924

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Mi Familia Vota (Spanish for “My Family Votes”) is a left-leaning voter activation and engagement group that seeks to increase the political influence of left-leaning Latino communities by helping immigrants become citizens and increasing Hispanic voter participation. MFV operates in Texas, California, Arizona, Nevada, and Florida, states which, after New Mexico, have the highest Hispanic populations in the country. 12

History

The group launched in July 2000 under the name “Mi Familia Vota 100%” as part of an initiative by the Organization of Los Angeles Workers (OLAW). OLAW trained members of several influential labor unions, including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), all which had significant Hispanic membership by the early 2000s. OLAW campaigned for pro-union political candidates through phone banking, door knocking, and advertising in Latino-focused and Spanish-language newspapers. OLAW received support from a variety of left-leaning Hispanic- and immigrant-activist groups. 34

MFV closed its California offices in 2002, but moved its national headquarters to Arizona in 2004. 5 The group opened offices in Texas and Colorado in 2006. 67 That year, MFV partnered with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) (now UnidosUS) and several Hispanic media companies. The coalition launched the “Ya Es Hora” campaign to encourage one million Latino immigrants with permanent residency status to become United States citizens. 8

MFV opened offices in Nevada in 2010 and Florida in 2012. 910 That year, the group also returned to California. 11

Immigration

Mi Familia Vota supports a path to citizenship for the over 10.5 million illegal immigrants in the United States. 12 The group also supports implementation of the Obama administration’s proposed “Deferred Action for Parents of Americans” (DAPA) policy and the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA) program that granted legal status to certain illegal immigrants and spreads its message by taking immigration issues to “union halls, churches, schools, and community centers.” 13

In a 2018 statement, the group attacked President Donald Trump for his zero tolerance immigration enforcement measures. The group claimed there was no evidence for illegal aliens skipping their immigration court hearings, contradicting Department of Justice statistics showing that between one-fifth and one-third of suspected illegal immigrants miss their court date. 14

MFV opposes cooperation between state law enforcement and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 15

Programs

Education Fund

The Mi Familia Vota Education Fund helps MFV work towards its goal of reshaping the demographics of the American electorate by getting more Latin American immigrants to become citizens. 16

Youth Development Program

MFV runs a program for Latino high school students that includes outreach to elected officials, leadership development, and networking opportunities. The group also hosts an annual Youth Advocacy Summit at Rice University. 17

Leadership

The Mi Familia Vota board of directors includes representatives from Silicon Valley, the hospitality industry, and the labor movement, including former Google executive Jaime Casap, long-time gambling industry lobbyist Ulrico Izaguirre, and SEIU International Executive Vice President Rocio Saenz. Google and other tech firms, the hospitality industry, and the SEIU have pushed liberal expansionist immigration policies aligned with MFV, specifically, preserving DACA, facilitating immigrant labor, and granting citizenship to illegal immigrants. 181920

Hector Sanchez Barba is the CEO of MFV. 21 While his organization states that it is non-partisan, Barba himself displays extreme vitriol towards President Trump on social media. He claims that Trump “practices the rhetoric of dictators” and “promoted hate & violence.” In July, Barba announced that MFV would be launching a social media campaign called #BASTATRUMP (Spanish for “Enough of Trump.”) Barba also sits on the board of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the nation’s leading network of abortion providers. 22

Carlos Duarte is MFV’s Chief Development Officer. He organizes efforts to oppose voter identification laws and immigration restriction policies. 23

Cristian Avila is MFV’s National Civic Engagement Coordinator. He is “committed to building political power for Latinos” and pushes for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. He and his family are illegal immigrants. 24

Controversies

#BASTATRUMP

MFV endorses its CEO’s anti-Trump statements on social media, including his claim that President Trump is “the biggest threat to our democracy.” The group also used #UnidosContraTrump (Spanish for United Against Trump) in an announcement that it would be partnering with the UnidosUS Action Fund and the anti-Trump Lincoln Project. 25

ICE sterilization claims

A September 2020 statement from MFV promoted unproven allegations that female illegal immigrants were forced to undergo hysterectomies at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Georgia. The statement claimed that “constant abuses” were taking place, and MFV Education Fund president Gabriela Lemus asserted that “these women were deliberately sterilized.” 26 The Associated Press found no evidence of mass sterilization, and the detention facility “strongly refutes these allegations.” The lawyer who helped file the initial complaint is on record saying that she included the allegations to trigger an investigation, not because she had evidence that they were true. 27

Finances

In 2017, contributions to MFV dropped to just over one-tenth of the previous year’s $3.2 million. The group reported a net loss of nearly $320,000. 28

MFV reported funding shortfalls starting in 2016 despite receiving a $500,000 donation from a group called Everybody Votes, which is funded by George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, and the Silicon Valley-funded Mind the Gap. Organizers from both MFV and their one-time partner NCLR said that they were waiting on donors who pledged money but had not yet delivered. 2930 Mi Familia Vota received three reported donations over $200 in 2018, with two from Arizona Wins and one from For Our Future Action Fund. 31

References

  1.        “About Us,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/about/
  2.       Rolando Y. Wee, “States With the Largest Latino and Hispanic Populations,” WorldAtlas, October 4, 2018. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/us-states-with-the-largest-relative-hispanic-and-latino-populations.html
  3.              “Mi Familia Vota Launches!,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/announcement/mi-familia-vota-launches/
  4.       Zaragosa Vargas, “American Latino Theme Study: Labor,” National Park Service. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.nps.gov/articles/latinothemelabor.htm
  5.            “Hello, Arizona!,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/announcement/hello-arizona/
  6.        “Howdy, Texas!,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/announcement/howdy-texas/
  7.       “Echoing Through the Rocky Mountains,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/announcement/echoing-through-the-rocky-mountains/
  8.        “¡Ya Es Hora!,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/announcement/ya-es-hora/
  9. “What Happens in Vegas….Builds More Political Power,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/announcement/what-happens-in-vegas-builds-more-political-power/
  10.       “Time to Head East,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/announcement/time-to-head-east/
  11.       “Mi Familia Vota Returns to California,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/announcement/mi-familia-vota-returns-to-california/
  12. Passel, Jeffrey S. “Measuring Illegal Immigration: How Pew Research Center Counts Unauthorized Immigrants in the U.S.” Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, September 4, 2020. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/12/how-pew-research-center-counts-unauthorized-immigrants-in-us/.
  13.        “Immigration,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/what-we-do/the-issues/immigration/
  14.        Bob Ortega, “How many are showing up for deportation hearings?,” AZCentral, November 14, 2014. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2014/07/13/answering-key-questions-child-migration-show-up-deportation-hearings/12538807/
  15.     Mi Familia Vota, Twitter, September 18, 2020. Accessed September 30, 2020.

  16. “Mi Familia Vota Education Fund,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/mi-familia-vota-education-fund/
  17. “Youth Development Program,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/what-we-do/youth-development-program/
  18.    Jocelyn Grzeszczak, “Google and Facebook Among Companies Asking Trump to Keep DACA,” Newsweek, July 11, 2020. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.newsweek.com/google-facebook-among-companies-asking-trump-keep-daca-no-time-disrupt-economic-recovery-1517175
  19. Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz, “Hospitality industry needs more immigrant workers to survive, report says,” Chicago Tribune, August 24, 2017. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-hospitality-needs-more-immigrants-report-0825-biz-20170824-story.html
  20. “SEIU Principles for Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” Service Workers International Union. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.seiu.org/cards/solutions-for-immigration-reform-explained
  21. “Hector Sanchez Barba,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/people/hector-sanchez-barba/
  22.        Hector Sanchez Barba, Twitter. Accessed September 30, 2020.

  23.        “Carlos Duarte,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/people/carlos-duarte/
  24.               “Cristian Avila,” Mi Familia Vota. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/people/cristian-avila/
  25.            Mi Familia Vota, Twitter. Accessed September 30, 2020.

  26.        “Hysterectomies and Medical neglect at ICE facility Are Deeply Disturbing Must Be Investigated,” Mi Familia Vota, September 17, 2020. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.mifamiliavota.org/news/hysterectomies-and-medical-neglect-at-ice-facility-are-deeply-disturbing-must-be-investigated/
  27.    Nomaan Merchant, “More migrant women say they didn’t OK surgery in detention,” Associated Press, September 18, 2020. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://apnews.com/article/georgia-archive-only-on-ap-immigration-f2008d23c5f9087f4214d9722dfb097e
  28.            Mi Familia Vota, ProPublica. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/810668995
  29.        Adrian Carrasquillo, “Latinos Are Expected To Vote In Droves But Major Liberal Efforts To Register Them Aren’t Off The Ground,” BuzzFeed, June 18, 2016. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adriancarrasquillo/latinos-are-expected-to-vote-in-droves-but-major-liberal-eff
  30. Theodore Schleifer, “How Silicon Valley’s secretive donor group plans to beat Trump,” January 7, 2020. Vox.com. Accessed October 13, 2020. https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/1/7/21055340/mind-the-gap-silicon-valley-donors-democrats-2020-plan-140-million
  31. Open Secrets, Mi Familia Vota page, Accessed October 13, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgave2.php?cmte=C90017906&cycle=2018

Directors, Employees & Supporters

  1. Jessie Ulibarri
    Former Colorado State Director
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: June 1, 2007

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2019 Dec Form 990 $620,327 $1,431,523 $1,739,924 $264,201 N $601,705 $0 $18,622 $74,614
    2018 Dec Form 990 $2,591,314 $2,099,569 $2,515,128 $228,209 N $2,575,717 $0 $11,192 $55,430 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $388,157 $707,471 $1,934,294 $139,120 N $386,416 $0 $1,589 $94,098 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $4,992,259 $4,627,771 $2,321,850 $207,362 N $3,207,766 $0 $346 $172,660
    2015 Dec Form 990 $1,460,532 $2,921,907 $1,859,516 $109,516 N $452,144 $0 $6,569 $199,396 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $5,004,060 $4,430,068 $3,328,279 $116,904 N $3,263,019 $0 $14,510 $187,290 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $3,008,981 $2,665,896 $2,716,975 $79,592 N $1,999,118 $0 $659 $90,237 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $5,079,699 $4,052,680 $2,365,218 $34,920 N $3,346,284 $8,840 $1,519 $60,536 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $1,050,897 $1,259,469 $1,314,434 $11,155 N $530,297 $515,789 $1,658 $0 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Mi Familia Vota

    1710 E INDIAN SCHOOL RD STE 100
    PHOENIX, AZ 85016-5948