'Why Are We Traumatizing Kids?': Ms Rachel's Detention Centre Visit Lands as New Jersey Sues the Operator

Children's entertainer Ms Rachel says she met 'traumatized kids who are scared to sleep at night' during a Monday visit to families outside Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, days after the state sued the detention centre's operator for blocking health inspectors.

The YouTube star, whose real name is Rachel Accurso, shared photos on Instagram of herself hugging children whose parents are held inside the 1,000-bed immigration facility. 'Met the sweetest children whose hearts are broken,' she wrote. 'They just want their parents home again.'

Her question, 'Why are we traumatizing kids?', has now carried an immigration detention story into millions of family households. Accurso's channel reaches toddlers and parents worldwide, an audience that rarely follows detention policy.

The Truck Driver's Daughter

Accurso said she spoke with a 13-year-old girl whose father lived in the US for 20 years and worked as a truck driver before he was detained at Delaney Hall. The girl described watching films with him every Friday night. 'He is the one who jokes around and makes everyone laugh,' she told the entertainer.

The teenager's brother has a severe disability, and their father will now miss her graduation, Accurso wrote, urging followers to donate to the family. 'My mom tries to be strong for me but I know she is broken,' the girl said.

New Jersey Takes the Operator to Court

The visit landed in the middle of a legal fight. On 2 June, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport sued The GEO Group, the private prison company that runs Delaney Hall, in Essex County Superior Court. The state says inspectors allowed inside on 28 May were barred from the medical unit, sleeping areas, and bathing facilities, and have been refused entry since.

Davenport argued that a company holding a $1 billion (£740 million) government contract has no legitimate reason to block inspections if it has nothing to hide. She wrote on X that reports from the facility described 'bad or no medical care, no toilet paper, worms in food' and even a case of suspected tuberculosis.

Detainees began a hunger and labour strike in late May to protest their conditions. Senator Andy Kim, who was pepper-sprayed outside the gates, accused GEO Group of 'profiting off of human misery' and pointed to its 96% jump in quarterly profit compared with early 2025.

'This Isn't Holiday Inn'

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) dismissed the lawsuit as 'frivolous' and insists Delaney Hall complies with all required state and local laws. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin mocked the hunger strike, claiming detainees who refused meals simply wanted food from their home countries. 'They can go back to their country and get whatever food they want. This isn't Holiday Inn,' he said.

The department also released commissary data, it says, that shows snack purchases surged during the reported strike, branding the protest a 'hoax'. A DHS spokesperson added that critics ignored children exploited by smugglers and traffickers under the previous administration.

A Children's Star Who Accepts Being Called Political

Accurso has brushed aside complaints that she is wading into politics. 'It's political to believe that children are worthy of love and care,' she has said. In March, she revealed she was working with lawyers and activists to close the Dilley detention facility in Texas.

On Wednesday, she carried letters from detainees' children to Washington, urging Congress to end family detention and separation. For the 13-year-old still waiting for her father, the question Accurso asked in Newark remains unanswered.