“We know which states are being targeted… If you see someone [from ICE], you can text the group and it’ll go on a website, so people [illegals] can avoid the area.”
“We [Vera] keep track of everything that’s happening with ICE.”
“There’s been some really great work that has been done to create [ICE] notification systems,” reveals Santiago Mueckay, Director of Advocacy for the Vera Institute of Justice, to a hidden camera. Mueckay, details how the organization actively helps illegal immigrants evade federal law enforcement operations, raising legal and ethical questions about the nonprofit’s activities and funding.
The Vera Institute, a long-established nonprofit known for its criminal justice reform work, has in recent years expanded into immigration. According to Mueckay, that expansion includes deploying alert systems to notify illegal immigrants of approaching ICE raids, building online databases to monitor ICE activity, and storing information about government holding and transfer locations.
“If you see someone [ICE agents], you can text the group, and then it’ll go on a website… so people can avoid the area,” Mueckay told an undercover OMG journalist. Mueckay also admitted Vera maintains “a couple of databases” tracking ICE trends, including where agents are detaining or transporting illegal immigrants. “Sometimes we have to sue them to get information,” he added, referring to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation against the federal government.
Jessica Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, called Mueckay’s comments “very concerning,” saying he “seemed to be endorsing and approving of this app that’s been developed to help illegal aliens potentially avoid immigration enforcement.” She warned that such efforts “are very dangerous to ICE officers and to the community” and could be “crossing the line into criminal behavior that would amount to harboring someone or shielding them from immigration enforcement.”
“We have to remember,” Vaughan said, “a lot of the people ICE is going after are criminals themselves, potentially dangerous. So getting in the midst of that as a kind of protest is very disturbing.” She added, “They’re contributing to a climate of fear… and setting up ICE officers to be put into dangerous situations.”
Funding for these efforts appears to be both private and public. Mueckay named “the Gates Foundation” and “Jeff Bezos” as major donors. While Bezos’s name does not appear in public IRS disclosures, his ex-wife MacKenzie Scott has publicly donated to Vera. In 2023, the Gates Foundation issued a grant to the group.
Despite the federal government no longer directly funding some of Vera’s immigration programs under the current administration, recent tax filings show the nonprofit took in over $263 million in revenue. One anonymous donor reportedly gave over $188 million in a single year, while two others combined for over $35 million.
Historically, Vera’s funding has included federal contracts. In 2023, the organization received $350 million to provide immigration legal services and another $171 million from the Department of Health and Human Services to support unaccompanied minors. Under the Biden administration, Vera’s role in the immigration space grew substantially.
O’Keefe Media Group reached out to the Vera Institute of Justice, the Department of Justice, the White House, and Santiago Mueckay for comment.
The Vera Institute of Justice issued a statement to OMG regarding our investigation into their role in immigration enforcement notification systems.
According to Vera, “Our immigration work expands access to counsel and representation for people facing deportation. We do not track or engage in notifications about ICE arrest and enforcement actions.”
They also clarified, “Jeff Bezos is not a funder of the Vera Institute of Justice. The Gates Foundation does not fund any of Vera’s immigration work.”
According to White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, “ICE Officers are facing an 830% increase in assaults against them because of unhinged rhetoric from activists and Democrat politicians smearing heroic ICE officers… Anyone who uses these or other apps to commit crimes will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to a U.S. Department of Justice spokesperson, “This Department of Justice will not tolerate groups or apps that assist illegal aliens with evading capture and disclose the location of our law enforcement. Any threats to the safety of federal agents will be taken with the utmost seriousness and thoroughly investigated to ensure justice is served.”
On background: Five grants to Vera, totaling over $7 million, were terminated by DOJ. Vera sued — DOJ prevailed on a motion to dismiss, and Vera is now appealing in the DC Circuit.
If you work inside a government agency, nonprofit, or institution and see wrongdoing, reach out securely at [email protected] or text 914-491-9395.
