Meet a Health Hero Finalist: Rachel Rutter

Twelve-year-old Lia* fled her homeland of Honduras and came to the United States seeking safety from neglect and abuse. Living with untreated PTSD, Lia struggled in school and was suspended for trauma-related behavior. Because there is no right to a court-appointed lawyer in deportation proceedings in the U.S., Lia faced immigration court alone, and had difficulty sharing her story. The judge questioned her credibility and viewed her school record negatively. As a result, Lia was deported back to life-threatening conditions that awaited her in Honduras.

Lia’s story is typical for youth asylum seekers in the U.S. It’s also the issue that has motivated Phoenixville-based immigration attorney Rachel Rutter to relentlessly advocate for them for nearly 20 years.

“Thousands of children have deportation proceedings pending against them before the Philadelphia Immigration Court,” Rutter says. “Many have no lawyer and must represent themselves in an arcane system in a language they do not speak.”

Representation matters, Rutter points out: Represented children are seven times more likely to remain in the United States legally, while up to 90 percent of unrepresented children are deported to dangerous situations.

On top of that, Rutter says, many migrant children arrive with extensive trauma, and, as a result, “are more likely to struggle in isolation with symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression, and struggle academically and behaviorally at school.” Yet, many of them can’t access needed social services due to financial, cultural, and linguistic barriers — and this lack of support almost always negatively impacts their immigration cases.

It’s why Rutter founded Project Libertad, a nonprofit that provides free legal and social services, as well as academic guidance, mentoring, and leadership opportunities, to newcomer immigrant youth and their families. Many clients — most of whom are adolescents — of her 11-year-old organization have fled various parts of Central America, to escape threats like gang violence and sex trafficking.

Rutter started in this field as an undergrad at Gettysburg College, when she worked at a youth center serving mostly immigrant families through the Center for Public Service. She quickly realized children facing deportation needed more than just legal services to help them achieve a safe, stable life in a new country — they also needed food, housing, mental health care, and medical care. Project Libertad has two full-time case managers, who help connect kids with anything from basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing to therapy and tutoring in their native language, access to doctor’s appointments and weekly after-school programs. It also hosts a free summer camp for students in grades three to nine — this year’s was held at the Reformed Church of the Ascension in Norristown.

Rachel Rutter (right) and a colleague inside the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Newark, New Jersey

And, due to increased ICE enforcement the region has seen the past few years, Project Libertad launched a volunteer-run program that helps orient families on next steps in the event someone gets detained, and how they can obtain a lawyer.

Services are concentrated in Chester, Bucks, and Montgomery counties, but Rutter says the nonprofit legally represents kids across the Commonwealth.

For her steadfast work, Rutter has been named a finalist in this year’s Be Well Philly Health Hero Challenge, presented by Independence Blue Cross.

Voting is open for the 2026 challenge. Vote for your favorite finalist today!

Rutter says this work matters immensely, especially in our current political climate: “We’ve seen the U.S. administration become aggressive [when it comes to immigrants and deportation], and the Department of Justice, which oversees all the immigration judges, has fired [more than 100] judges who don’t agree with them or don’t rule the way that they would want them to rule. And then there’s ICE being more punitive than ever before. It’s important for kids to not have to face [all of that] by themselves in court and to have a legal advocate with them. It’s the most important factor regarding their immigration status.”

“The United States has meddled for decades in Central America and many other parts of the world, which has led to people having to seek asylum here in the United States,” Rutter adds. “I believe the very least the U.S. can do, as a country, is provide protection to the people whose homelands it has completely destroyed. These kids are just like any other child who happens to have the luck of being born in the United States. If we give them the support they need now, they can make a difference in and contribute to their community.”

Rachel Rutter is one of the finalists in the 2026 Be Well Philly Health Hero Challenge presented by Independence Blue Cross. The award recognizes nonprofit leaders, medical professionals, frontline health workers, nonprofit leaders, teachers, coaches, entrepreneurs, and community activists who are making a positive impact on community health and wellness.

Each year, the public nominates individuals who inspire them, then votes to select a winner who receives a $15,000 donation to the charity of their choice. Two runners-up each receive a $2,500 donation to the charity of their choice. You can vote for your favorite finalist once per day, every day until September 30th.

*Name has been changed to protect privacy.