Thank You Ms. Rachel, From a Parent and an Immigration Attorney

This week, my son was sick. At his worst, he could barely lift his head off my chest. I put on Ms. Rachel to give him something gentle to hold onto. And even in that state, feverish, exhausted, barely moving, he raised his little hand and waved. "Byebye, My Rachel."

My son has apparently claimed Ms. Rachel as his own, by the way. I’m not sure she’s aware of this.

This week, Ms. Rachel went to Dilley. And it made me stop and reconsider the tragedy I work with every day.

There is a particular kind of numbness that sets in when you do this work long enough. You read another case file. Another family separated. Another child who has never known a country other than this one facing deportation to a place their parents fled in fear. You file the motion. You make the call. You move to the next case. Not because you don't care, but because caring too much, all the time, without pause, will break you.

What Is Dilley?

The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas is the largest immigration detention facility in the United States. It holds up to 2,400 people, nearly all of them mothers and their young children. These are families who came to this country seeking asylum, many fleeing violence, persecution, and conditions so dangerous they made the extraordinary decision to leave everything they knew behind.

They are not criminals. They have not been convicted of anything. They are detained while their immigration cases are processed, a civil matter and not a criminal one, in a facility that looks and functions very much like a prison.

The children inside Dilley range from infants to teenagers. They sleep in dormitory-style rooms. They eat institutional food. They wait. Many of them have been waiting for months.

In recent years, conditions at Dilley have drawn significant criticism from advocates, medical professionals, and members of Congress. Reports have documented inadequate healthcare, limited access to legal counsel, and the profound psychological toll that detention takes on children who came here holding their mother's hand, hoping for safety, and found themselves behind a fence instead.

What Ms. Rachel Did

For those who don't have a toddler at home, Ms. Rachel, formally Rachel Griffin Accurso, is the creator of the wildly beloved YouTube channel Songs for Littles. With her gentle voice, her bright sets, and her genuine warmth, she has become one of the most trusted figures in early childhood education. She teaches children to talk, to sign, to feel seen. Parents of toddlers across the country, myself included, are deeply and sincerely grateful for her.

This week, she used her platform and her presence to shine a light on Dilley.

She showed up. She saw the children inside that facility and she did what she does. She met them where they were, with kindness and without judgment. And then she told the world what she saw.

For millions of her followers, parents of toddlers, people who might never otherwise encounter the reality of family immigration detention, it was the first time Dilley felt real. Not a policy debate. Not a political talking point. Real children. Real mothers. Real fear.

Why This Matters

I have worked immigration detention cases and with Dilley specifically. I have read the reports, filed the habeas petitions, spoken to the families. And I will be honest with you: you do become numb. Not cold, never cold, but numb. It is a defense mechanism. It is how you keep going.

Watching Ms. Rachel see Dilley for the first time, with fresh eyes, with a parent's heart, with the same warmth she brings to every child she meets, made me stop. It made me feel it again.

That is not a small thing.

There is a power in seeing something through the eyes of someone who hasn't yet learned to look away. It reminds you why you started. It reminds you that behind every case number is a child who, given the chance, would wave goodbye with a tiny hand and smile.

Thank You, Ms. Rachel

As a parent, you are a godsend. In our house, you have soothed fevers and filled quiet mornings and taught my son words he is so proud to know.

As an immigration advocate, I am so glad to have you on our side.

The children at Dilley deserve to be seen. Thank you for seeing them, and for helping the rest of us remember how to look.