YouTube star Ms Rachel declares 'I am political' in new mission to shut down ICE facility

YouTube star "Ms. Rachel" declared that she is "political" as she launches a new plan to try to shut down a Texas detention facility.

The children's entertainer, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, spoke to NBC News last week about contacting children inside the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas via video calls.

Accurso accused the center of "neglect and child abuse" and revealed she was working with lawyers and activists "to close Dilley and make sure that kids and their parents are back in their communities where they belong."

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"I see all children as precious and equal," she said.

Accurso also declared that she would embrace the "political" label given to her by critics for her work in trying to close the center.

"I am political," Accurso said. "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."

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In a comment to Fox News Digital, CoreCivic, the company that maintains the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, responded that they "understand and share the concern for the wellbeing of children" and provide "safe, humane and compassionate care" to families.

"Children have access to outdoor recreation areas, including a soccer field and playground, a library, educational materials, monitored childcare while parents attend legal proceedings, and much more," CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin said. "We provide three nutritious meals a day that are often enjoyed by members of our staff. DIPC is subject to multiple layers of oversight and is monitored closely by our government partners to ensure compliance with policies, procedures and standards."

He added, "We welcome good-faith engagement from people genuinely interested in the wellbeing of families at DIPC. However, many of the claims being made about the facility aren't supported by the facts." 

Accurso has come under scrutiny over the last few years for her outspoken criticism of Israel and support for Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war, using the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry’s casualty statistics in her arguments.

"Over 14,000 precious children have been un-alived in Gaza. Gaza has the largest number of child amputees in history. We can’t be silent about these kinds of conditions for children," Ms. Rachel posted on TikTok in Dec. 2024.

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Those numbers were later revised down by thousands, with an analysis finding that 72% of those killed between the ages of 13 and 55 were males.

Accurso also faced backlash after appearing to like an antisemitic comment under one of her Instagram posts that read, "Free America from the Jews" in January. She later posted a tearful apology video, insisting that it was an accident.

At the time, she told Fox News Digital in a statement, "I accidentally liked a hateful comment on my social media while trying to delete it. I have always been completely clear on this; I do not support language that targets or harms the Jewish community or any community. Antisemitism and hate of any kind have no place in my life or my work. Everything I do is rooted in kindness, inclusion, and care for all humanity. Those values guide me every day, and I remain firmly committed to them."