In what should be an uncontroversial act, Rachel Accurso — better known as the Children’s creator Ms. Rachel — is fighting for the wellbeing of kids. Specifically, she’s taking action in an attempt to close the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas, where ICE has detained children and their families.
In a new interview with NBC News, Accurso explained that she first learned of the Dilley facility after federal agents detained the father of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos in Minneapolis, with both subsequently being sent to the South Texas location. Since then, she’s had video calls with children inside the center and has begun 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 was unbelievably surreal to see this sweet little face and feel like I was on a call with somebody who’s in jail. It broke me, and it was something I never thought I’d encounter in life,” Accurso said. “We’re trying to get a child out of a jail to do a spelling bee. I just never thought those words would go together.”
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“I am political,” Accurso continued, anticipating backlash in response to her actions. “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.”
According to NBC News, the children at the Dilley facility have complained about “limited education, lights that never turn off, and moldy food.” Additionally, a majority of the “more than 2,300 children” that have been detained in the midst of Trump and ICE’s raids are held at Dilley. Many have been held for “several weeks or months.”
“Treating a child this way is a crime,” said Accurso. “It’s neglect and child abuse.”
According to The New York Times, about 50 children remain at the Dilley center as of this week, down from about 500 in January. It’s unclear what directly led to the declining figure, though the fall follows months of mounting pressure from rights activists like Accurso, as well as members of congress and immigration lawyers.
Ms. Rachel initially found traction on YouTube as a colorful singing educator. Her channel currently has over 19 million subscribers, and she began releasing content on Netflix in 2025. She’s previously faced controversy for taking other political stances, like advocating for children in Gaza.