Rachel Griffin Accurso, widely known as Ms. Rachel to her millions of followers, visited Capitol Hill on Tuesday to advocate for children held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers. Wearing a bubblegum-pink linen suit and carrying a suitcase filled with packets of handwritten letters and drawings from children detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas, Accurso sought to bring attention to their experiences.

The letters and artwork, created by children currently or formerly in ICE custody, depicted distress and longing. One letter from a 7-year-old boy expressed a desire to leave the facility, while drawings showed families behind bars and homes the children wished to return to. Accurso presented these packets to lawmakers she encountered during her visit.

In addition to her Capitol Hill advocacy, Ms. Rachel has been involved in efforts outside detention centers, including delivering toys and art supplies to a hospitality tent set up near the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in New Jersey—a site where tensions have recently risen between demonstrators and law enforcement. During a visit to Dilley, she sang with children a song written by the Peace Poets that emphasized solidarity despite physical barriers. She also spoke with a 13-year-old girl who described the emotional challenge of having only brief visits with her father, a longtime resident of the United States.

Accurso’s involvement began earlier this year after learning about the enforcement operations leading to children being detained. She contacted legal experts, advocates, and journalists in Texas who highlighted concerning conditions at the Dilley facility. Reports from the center included cases of significant physical and mental distress among the children, such as an autistic 5-year-old who had not had a bowel movement in nine days and others experiencing sleep difficulties due to constant lighting.

While some children featured on Ms. Rachel’s social media were later released, many remain at Dilley. A Texas-based nonprofit reported that approximately 320 individuals, including nearly 90 children, were detained there as of early June. In response, Accurso launched a petition calling for the closure of the Dilley center, which has collected more than 324,000 signatures, including those of several celebrities. She also shared an open letter directed at CoreCivic, the private prison company that operates the facility, urging it to prevent harm to the children detained.

CoreCivic and the Department of Homeland Security maintain that the detention centers are safe and provide appropriate care to those housed there. However, Accurso and other advocates argue that the public remains largely unaware of the severity of the conditions faced by detained children.

At Capitol Hill, Accurso received support from senators, took photos, and recorded personalized videos for some of the children. Despite her efforts, the House recently passed a $70 billion funding package that includes $38 billion for ICE enforcement and $26 billion for Border Patrol operations, signaling continued expansion of detention and deportation efforts.

Accurso emphasized her commitment to ongoing advocacy, stating, “I can’t say, ‘I’m just one person, so I’m not going to make a difference.’ What if everyone said that?” She plans to continue sharing the stories of detained children to push for an end to family detention and to reunite separated families.