More and more celebrities are trying to put direct pressure on current immigration policy in the U.S. Just days after the latest ‘No Kings’ demonstrations drew major turnout and high-profile names like Robert De Niro, Jane Fonda, Bruce Springsteen, and Jimmy Kimmel, a new petition is demanding the closure of the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, a family detention facility run for ICE.
The push is not coming from just one corner of Hollywood either. Pedro Pascal, Wunmi Mosaku, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Madonna, Keke Palmer, Billy Porter, Melissa Barrera, and Ms. Rachel are among the public figures backing a letter that calls for Dilley to shut down immediately and for the detention of children and families to end.
Keke Palmer, Madonna, Billy Porter, soccer icon Abby Wambach, Riley Keough, Ramy Yousef, Melissa Barrera, Mark Ruffalo, Lena Dunham, and Hannah Einbinder are also among those who have signed the anti-Dilley letter.
Hollywood’s Anti-ICE Pressure Campaign Is Getting Louder
The letter is addressed to CoreCivic, which operates the Dilley facility, as well as federal officials tied to immigration enforcement. ICE lists the Dilley Immigration Processing Center as an active detention site, and CoreCivic identifies it as a facility it has managed since 2014 for ICE.
The letter argues that children in immigration detention face trauma, neglect, and conditions that violate basic standards of health, safety, and dignity.
This is where the story gets bigger than a celebrity petition. Dilley has faced repeated scrutiny over reported conditions inside the facility, including allegations involving poor hygiene, inadequate medical care, and contaminated food. Recent reporting has added fresh urgency, with new accounts involving a sick two-year-old detainee and broader criticism from advocates and public officials.
Ms. Rachel, who has taken public heat over her anti-ICE stance, put the argument in the clearest possible terms: “Every child, everywhere, deserves to feel safe, to be cared for, and to be treated with dignity.” That line helps explain why this campaign is cutting through. It is not framed as a procedural immigration debate. It is framed as a basic moral line.
Why Dilley Became A Flashpoint
The Dilley facility became even more politically charged after the case of a five-year-old boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, drew national attention earlier this year. His detention, and the detention of his father, became a rallying point for critics of the administration’s immigration tactics before both were released in February. The family is still fighting deportation orders to Ecuador.
Advocates say the number of families currently held at Dilley has dropped sharply in recent weeks, with one recent report putting the number around 100. That has not lowered the pressure. If anything, it has sharpened the question of why the facility is still operating at all while public criticism keeps growing.
The broader political backdrop matters too. ‘No Kings’ has become one of the most visible anti-Trump protest banners in the country, with thousands of demonstrations reported over the latest weekend of action. This new Dilley petition shows how quickly that movement is spilling into specific policy targets.
The message from the signatories is blunt. “No child should be locked in an immigration detention center.” That is the line they want attached to Dilley now, and they are clearly betting that star power can keep the pressure on.
You can find the full list of signatories of the petition here.
