The Miami Freedom Project for Democracy is a left-leaning nonprofit founded in 2020 which focuses on immigration issues and alleged disinformation in Spanish-language media. ¹

Miami Freedom Project for Democracy has ties to the Democratic Party. One of its board members, Juan Cuba, is a former chair of the Democratic Party of Miami-Dade County, Florida. ² One of its directors, Leonardo Felice Gorordo, was appointed as a White House Fellow by former President Barack Obama. ^{3 4}

Immigration Advocacy

The Miami Freedom Project for Democracy is concerned with controlling the narrative of immigration in the United States. It actively seeks to change the way illegal immigrants are spoken about through controlled language in media outlets and in political debates. In 2024, the Miami Freedom Project signed a document along with organizations such as the ACLU, International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), and the National Education Association (NEA) calling on elected officials to change the language they use when speaking about illegal immigrants. sent to the Congressional caucus leaders of both parties (Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), and Rep. Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY)). ⁵

The document stated that using words such as “infestation,” “animals,” and “not people” to describe illegal immigrants could lead to genocide of those individuals. It also stated that it is dangerous to articulate the concept that illegal immigrants are engaged in a hostile invasion of the United States because it can have deadly consequences. The document attributes the use of this language to the cause of the shooting in the Buffalo grocery store in 2022, El Paso Walmart in 2019, and Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018. The document stated that using unfavorable language is dangerous and political leaders must address it. ⁵

Leadership

Leonardo Felice Gorordo is a director of the Miami Freedom Project for Democracy. Gorordo has been the U.S. executive director of the World Bank Group since September of 2023. He was the CEO of three venture fund-backed tech companies and worked for the White House during the Bush and Obama administrations. He also founded Roots of Hope, a youth empowerment program in Cuba. Gorordo was also president and CEO of Clearpath, a tech company focused on revolutionizing the U.S. immigration process, by making it more digital. ^{3 6}

Juan Cuba is a board member of the Miami Freedom Project for Democracy. He was chair of the Democratic Party in Miami-Dade County from December 2016 to January 2019. He credits himself for turning six Republican-held seats into Democratic-held seats, including two Congressional, one State Senate, two State House, and one County Commission seats. ^{2 7}

Ana Sofia Pelaez is the co-founder and executive director of the Miami Freedom Project for Democracy. She is a writer in the areas of food, culture, and politics. Pelaez has led Latino get-out-the-vote efforts since 2016 and has expressed support for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party and Hispanics in Philanthropy. She also contributed to the Immigrant Cookbook, a cookbook which was made to raise funding for the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. ⁸

1. “Miami Freedom Project for Democracy, Inc. from Miami, FL – Company Details.” from Miami, FL – company details. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://www.bizprofile.net/fl/miami/miami-freedom-project-for.
2. Juan Cuba – deputy director – the impact project | linkedin. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/juancuba/.
3. “L. Felice Gorordo Alternate Executive Director United States.” World Bank. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/people/l/l-felice-gorordo.
4. “Immigrants or Refugees NGOs and Charities in Miami.” ngobase.org. Accessed August 15, 2024. https://ngobase.org/ciswa/US.FL.1/VNG.IG/immigrants-or-refugees-miami?page=2.
5. “Elected Leaders and Dehumanizing Rhetoric.” womensrefugeecommission.org. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://www.womensrefugeecommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Group-Letter-Elected-Leaders-and-Dehumanizing-Rhetoric.pdf.
6. “Appointee – Leonardo Felice Gorordo.” Inside Biden’s Basement. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://www.insidebidensbasement.org/appointees/leonardo-felice-gorordo.
7. Cuba, Juan. “Juan Cuba: Stepping down as Chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party.” miamidadedems.org, January 29, 2019. https://www.miamidadedems.org/juan_cuba_steps_down_miami_dade_democrats.
8. Ana Sofia Pelaez – miami freedom project | linkedin. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-sofia-pelaez-8733276/.