We Are Home Action (WAHA) is a left-of-center immigration activist organization that is a project of the left-of-center Sixteen Thirty Fund, which is administered by the left-of-center Arabella Advisors advocacy network. [1]
WAHA supports President Joe Biden’s immigration policies [2] and has run mid-six figure nationwide ad campaigns in English and Spanish [3] with the left-of-center Service Employees International Union (SEIU) calling for a pathway to citizenship for the so-called “DREAMers,” illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children, individuals currently in the U.S. on Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and “essential workers” illegally residing in the United States. [4] WAHA opposes the deportation of illegal immigrants, [5] conducts polling on amnesty and immigration-related issues, [6] and has encouraged noncitizens “to make calls if they are supporters” as a part of their text messaging initiatives. [7]
WAHA is co-chaired by left-of-center Community Change Action, Care in Action, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Farm Workers, and United We Dream Action. [8] Former WAHA campaign director Nathaly Arriola Maurice is now a Special Assistant to the President and director of partnerships in the Biden Administration. [9]
WAHA is associated with We Are Home, a separate project of the left-of-center New Venture Fund. [10]
History and Leadership
WAHA began running ad campaigns and text message campaigns [11] in support of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies in 2021. [12]
Former WAHA campaign director Nathaly Arriola Maurice is now a Special Assistant to the President and director of partnerships in the Biden administration. [13]
Carolina Malagon is WAHA’s distributed texting director. She previously worked for U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA)’s 2020 campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). She has volunteered for the left-wing Working Families Party. [14]
Activities and Funding
WAHA opposes the deportation of illegal immigrants [15] and supports the Biden administration’s immigration priorities with national advertisement campaigns and text message organizing. In a June 2021 virtual forum explaining WAHA’s text messaging outreach program, Carolina Malagon said WAHA is looking to include a pathway to citizenship for presently unlawful immigrants as a part of infrastructure legislation and said WAHA wants noncitizens to make calls on their behalf if they are supporters. [16]
In May 2021, WAHA ran an ad calling for Congress to act on “immigration reform” [17] and in April WAHA ran an advertisement with left-progressive MoveOn to include amnesty for illegal immigrants as a part of congressional infrastructure legislation. [18]
In March 2021, WAHA ran a $200,000 ad campaign against Representative John Katko (R-NY) for visiting the U.S.-Mexico border after voting against COVID-19 relief legislation. [19] Also in March 2021, WAHA ran a six-figure nationwide ad campaign in English and Spanish [20] with the left-of-center labor union Service Employees International Union (SEIU) calling for a pathway to citizenship for the “DREAMers,” individuals currently on TPS, and “essential workers” while showing images of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. [21]
That same month, WAHA conducted polling on the popularity of amnesty for illegal immigrants over an eight-year period, amnesty for the “DREAMers,” amnesty for agriculture and “essential workers” in the United States illegally, and other immigration policies with left-of-center Data for Progress. [22]
WAHA is co-chaired by left-of-center Community Change Action, Care in Action, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Farm Workers, and United We Dream Action. [23] Community Change Action hosts WAHA’s advertisements on its YouTube channel. [24]
Funding
We Are Home Action is a project of the Sixteen Thirty Project, which is administered by the left-of-center Arabella Advisors advocacy network. [25] WAHA is associated with We Are Home, an immigrant activist group that is a project of Arabella’s left-of-center New Venture Fund. [26]