Rachel Accurso, the children's entertainer beloved by millions as Ms. Rachel, has taken on her most controversial fight yet: shutting down an ICE detention facility in South Texas where more than 2,300 children are being held with their parents. Speaking to NBC News, Accurso said she couldn't stay silent after learning about conditions at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, where detained children have complained of moldy food, lights that never turn off, and limited education.
The battle began when federal agents detained 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father in Minneapolis, sending them to Dilley. Accurso, dressed in her trademark colorful outfit, has since conducted video calls with detained children — conversations that she describes as "unbelievably surreal."
During one call with 9-year-old Deiver Henao Jimenez, who was detained with his parents in early March, the child told her: "I want to leave and go to the spelling bee." Accurso's response was immediate: "Oh, I'm so sorry. A lot of people want to try to help."
"It broke me," Accurso told NBC News about the experience. "It was something I never thought I'd encounter in life... I just never thought those words would go together."
- More than 2,300 children detained with parents under Trump administration crackdown
- Children report limited education and moldy food
- Many families held for several weeks or months
- Lights reportedly never turn off
Accurso is now working with lawyers and immigration activists "to close Dilley and make sure that kids and their parents are back in their communities where they belong." It's a dramatic shift for an entertainer whose YouTube channel and Netflix shows have made her a household name among parents of toddlers.
Her political awakening hasn't come without cost. Accurso has faced intense backlash for advocating on behalf of children in Gaza, with critics accusing her of centering Palestinian youth over Israeli children. The controversy escalated in January when her Instagram account liked a comment reading "Free America from the Jews" — an incident Accurso called an accident, telling followers: "I'm a human who makes mistakes."
The Gaza advocacy led to threats against her family, Accurso revealed to NBC News. She initially worried that taking on ICE detention would fuel more backlash, but ultimately decided she couldn't remain idle.
"I am political," Accurso declared to NBC News, embracing a label that many children's entertainers avoid. "It's political to believe that children are worthy of love and care, and that every child is equal, and that our care shouldn't stop at what we look like, our family, at our religion, at a border."
The statement represents a clear departure from the typical playbook for children's entertainers, who generally avoid controversial topics to maintain broad appeal. Accurso's decision to wade into immigration policy — one of the most divisive issues in American politics — demonstrates her willingness to risk her brand for what she sees as a moral imperative.
The Trump administration's immigration enforcement has placed family detention back in the spotlight, with advocates arguing that detaining children — even with their parents — constitutes cruel treatment. Court-appointed monitors have documented the conditions at Dilley, providing the figures that show the overwhelming majority of the 2,300 detained children are held at that single facility.
For Accurso, the issue transcends politics. Her video calls with detained children — first with 5-year-old Gael, then with Jimenez — have personalized what might otherwise be abstract policy debates. The image of the cheerful educator in her Ms. Rachel costume speaking to a child behind detention walls captures the surreal intersection of children's entertainment and immigration enforcement.
Whether Accurso's advocacy will effectively pressure authorities to close Dilley remains to be seen. But her willingness to stake her reputation on child welfare rather than brand safety marks a new chapter for an entertainer who built her career on universal appeal — and her definition of what being "political" means when children's welfare is at stake.