Pennsylvania usually isn’t the first place people think of when they hear the phrase “Latino voters.” In fact, of the roughly 60.6 million Latinos in the U.S., only about 900,000 live in Pennsylvania. 

Despite its modest Latino population, grassroots groups like CASA in Action have been working for years to mobilize Pennsylvania Latinos and build electoral power in the state. That’s exactly what happened this November, when Pennsylvania put President-elect Joe Biden over the required 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. 

CASA in Action is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that works to mobilize voters to elect progressive leaders who support immigrants and communities of color. It focuses its efforts on three mid-Atlantic states: Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. 

It is the action arm of CASA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Baltimore whose mission is to improve the lives of Latinos and immigrants. CASA was founded in 1985 to help Central American refugees flee wars and civil conflicts in their homes. Since then, it has grown into a well-funded and highly respected organization. 

Funding and Finances

For the fiscal year ending in June 2018, CASA in Action had a total revenue of $2,050,476. That’s up from the 2017 FY’s total revenue of $914,387 and the 2016 FY’s total revenue of $283,303.

CASA’s budget has steadily increased over the years. Its total revenue for the 2018 FY was $8,472,733. In previous years, its total revenue has steadily increased, from $5.3 million in 2011 to 8.7 million in 2015. 

Between 2016 and 2020, CASA’s 501(c)(3) has received more than $9 million in foundation grants. Some of its grantmakers include the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Wells Fargo Foundation, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation and the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the MidAtlantic States. 

Mobilizing Latinos in Pennsylvania

The Pew Research Center, however, has found that while half of all Latinos in the U.S. live in Southwest border states, the fastest population growth lies elsewhere. Since 2010, Pennsylvania has seen some of the largest increase in Latino population, totalling at about a 274% increase.

Of the 900,000 Latinos living in Pennsylvania, more than a half-million are eligible to vote. Of these, about 400,000 voted in November. 

CASA in Action helped make this possible through its on-the-ground organizing strategy. According to FIRM Action, a national coalition dedicated to advocating for immigration reform, CASA in Action made 2.8 million phone calls and sent 2 million text messages in Pennsylvania alone. Additionally, CASA in Action knocked on more than 30,000 doors in Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Thaís Carrero, the Pennsylvania director of CASA in Action, spoke during a press call dedicated to discussing Latino voters in the 2020 election. “With 300,000 new Latino voters in Pennsylvania since the last presidential election, we know that we are an unstoppable force in the fact of constant attacks,” she said. “But this hasn’t been overnight: It’s been the work of many years.”

In 2018, CASA launched the CASA in Action PAC to advance its ability to impact elections. According to CASA’s 2019 impact report, the two advocacy groups have “mobilized thousands of Latinos and other voters of color to the polls through targeted, data-driven electoral programs throughout Maryland, Northern Virginia and South Central Pennsylvania.” CASA also used EquisLab’s research about Latino voters to tailor its messaging. 

For example, most Latinos in Pennsylvania are Puerto Ricans, followed by Dominican Americans and Mexican Americans. According to a report by NBC News, Puerto Ricans who fled the island following Hurricane Maria account for a substantial portion of the state’s Latino population growth.

Carrero told NBC that CASA in Action made the “mistreatment of Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria” one of the main focuses of its outreach campaign.

Advocating for Latinos in Baltimore

Long before CASA established CASA in Action and its PAC, it was a Baltimore-based organization called CASA de Maryland.  

CASA describes itself as working to “bring immigrant communities out of the shadows and into greater power, dignity and legitimacy.” Its c3 work includes providing employment placement, workforce development and training, health education, citizenship and legal services, and financial, language and literacy training.

One of its latest campaigns includes opening its new Regional Education and Employment Center in Baltimore, which will expand CASA’s Baltimore reach from 4,000 to 11,000 low-income Baltimore residents. Programs will include an on-site vocational training lab, employment placement and workforce development programs, youth programs and tax preparation, financial literacy, citizenship classes and legal services.

In 2029, CASA received a $1 million grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) as part of the two funders’ Communities Thrive Challenge, which is dedicated to expanding the economic opportunity for low-income people and communities in the U.S. CASA was chosen for its “demonstrated success and potential for future impact.”

In a press release, CZI co-founder Priscilla Chan said, “These organizations are creating pathways to opportunity from the ground up. We’ve already learned a lot from these local leaders and hope that others around the country will find useful lessons in these community-driven approaches.”

Looking to the future

With the general election now concluded and Biden secure in his win, CASA in Action is turning its attention to ensuring President-elect Biden fulfills his promises to Latino and immigrant voters.

“We organized, mobilized & voted to elect Joe Biden. Now we need the campaign promises to become reality,” wrote CASA in Action on Twitter. These promises include a road to citizenship, relief from deportation and an inclusive COVID-19 recovery plan.

Alonzo Washington, CASA in Action’s executive director, said, “For folks who are cynical about the system that we have: You’re right, it’s broken. With the power of our vote we can make significant, long-lasting change that you and I both want to see in the next generation.”