Children's entertainer Ms Rachel, real name Rachel Accurso, has faced backlash after visiting a controversial ICE detention centre in New Jersey and calling for its closure. The YouTube star, known for educational videos for toddlers, joined protests outside Delaney Hall, where detainees have alleged inhumane conditions including rotting food and lack of legal access.
Accurso posted on Instagram about meeting traumatised children whose parents are detained, including a 13-year-old girl whose father missed her birthday. She wrote: 'It makes no sense that their family has been ripped apart. Why are we traumatising kids?' The post drew hundreds of supportive comments but also accusations of staging a 'photo op'.
The facility has been the site of a hunger strike by roughly 300 detainees since May 22. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin dismissed the strike as complaints about a lack of 'ethnic food', saying: 'They can go back to their country and get whatever food they want.'
Accurso has also campaigned for the release of families from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, where hundreds of immigrants are held. She first learned of the centre after the father of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was arrested in Minneapolis. The family was later released.
Critics have accused her of overstepping her role as a children's entertainer, while supporters praise her advocacy for vulnerable children. The controversy comes amid a broader debate over family separation policies under the current administration.
