06/13/2026
Ms. Rachel arrived at the Capitol in her signature pink, wheeling a suitcase containing 535 packets of letters and drawings — one for every member of Congress. The letters were written by children held in immigration detention in Dilley, Texas. One of them, a seven year old boy, wrote simply: "I cry a lot. I want to get out of here."
She spent two days going office to office, meeting with lawmakers from both parties, and telling them about the children she had come to know through months of video calls with detained families. Deiver, the nine year old who wanted to compete in his state spelling bee. Amalia, the eighteen month old who suffered a near-fatal health crisis while in custody. Guri, a twelve year old who had been detained since February and had gone months with a serious health concern without ever being referred to a specialist. That evening, as she was leaving the Senate buildings, news broke that the House had passed a $70 billion package to expand detention and deportation operations — including $38 billion directed to ICE alone. She sat quietly on the Capitol steps, absorbed the weight of that moment, and then recorded a message for the children whose words she had carried all day. "I have your words right here. I'm always going to stand with you."
When critics suggest that a children's educator should stay out of politics, her answer has remained consistent and clear. "I am political. 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." The next morning, she came back to deliver every remaining packet. "I'll never stop trying, for them," she said. "I can't say, 'I'm just one person, so I'm not going to make a difference.' What if everyone said that?"
