Pedro Pascal, Mark Ruffalo, and More Hollywood Stars Sign Open Anti-ICE Letter

by

Recently, celebrities have been discussing whether it’s appropriate to use award shows to address important issues. At the same time, more and more stars are speaking out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The critically acclaimed film One Battle After Another highlights the conditions in ICE detention centers, and new polls reveal that over half of Americans – even some who previously supported the agency – now disapprove of ICE. This growing criticism began in January, following the deaths of two U.S. citizens during encounters with ICE officers, prompting Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Jenna Ortega, Ed Norton, and others to express their anger over the agency’s methods, which are increasingly being described as deadly.

A petition gaining support from celebrities like Pedro Pascal, Mark Ruffalo, and Madonna is calling for the closure of the Dilley ICE Detention Center in Texas. The petition follows reports that children held at the facility aren’t receiving adequate medical care. Staff have allegedly dismissed children’s health concerns as psychological and have denied treatment, including in cases of measles. The petition states that children in immigration detention experience trauma, neglect, and unacceptable living conditions, violating fundamental health, safety, and human rights standards.

The letter also received support from numerous actors and artists, including Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Ms. Rachel, Jen Tullock, Brandi Carlile, Bobby Lopez, Ramy Youssef, Riley Keough, and Ben Stiller, as well as the cast of One Battle After Another. It’s no surprise that Jane Fonda is involved, as she’s been actively speaking out about issues facing Hollywood, recently reviving the Committee for the First Amendment and criticizing what she sees as the Federal Communication Commission unfairly targeting the industry.

As a big Ms. Rachel fan, I was really shaken up hearing about her call with a young boy held at the Dilley detention center. Apparently, he just wanted to go to his spelling bee! It’s heartbreaking to think she was on the phone with a nine-year-old begging for help to get out of what sounded like a prison. She said it was completely surreal and devastating. The good news, though, is that shortly after the story came out, some of the kids were released from that facility. It’s a small victory, but it definitely hit me hard.

It’s easy to forget this, but mistreatment within ICE detention centers isn’t a recent problem. Even back during the Obama administration, there was a lot of concern about how people – especially families and children – were being treated. Some within his own party even nicknamed him the “deporter in chief” because of it. Right now, though, I’m particularly worried about how children are being treated by ICE under the Trump administration, even with everything else going on with immigration enforcement.

You can find the complete petition text here. Below is a section from the petition titled “Close Dilley ICE Detention Center: Protect Children.”

Children should not be held in immigration detention centers. We are urging the immediate closure of the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, which is run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and a complete stop to the practice of detaining children and their families.

Children held while their families face immigration issues often experience significant trauma and neglect. The conditions they are kept in frequently fail to meet even the most basic standards for health, safety, respect, and fundamental human rights.

It’s widely known that detaining children causes harm, and there’s extensive evidence to prove it. Court records detail instances of abuse, including children being denied clean water, given spoiled and worm-infested food, receiving inadequate medical care, being kept awake for long periods, and being denied access to lawyers. These records also show children being separated from their families and families facing punishment for speaking out about the terrible conditions.

Children belong in schools and on playgrounds, not in detention centers.

We strongly call on the federal government and CoreCivic to immediately shut down the Dilley facility, reunite children and families with their communities, and stop detaining children.

We won’t stop working after this case is closed. We insist on openness, responsibility, and lasting changes to the system so these kinds of problems don’t occur anywhere else in the country.

Sign on to help protect children and their families.

Read More

2026-03-31 20:10