66-Year-Old Arrested For Trying To Deliver Toys In Fairfield Facility For Children

A recently released video showed a 66-year-old woman being arrested outside Baptist Child and Family Services, Fairfield, in California — a facility that reportedly holds detained immigrant children.

Following the detention of migrant children who were separated from their parents at the border, a group comprising mothers and grandmothers began traveling to various facilities — where the kids were being kept — to sing lullabies and deliver toys. Elizabeth DeCou, a member of the group called Solidaridad con los Niños, was arrested in Fairfield during one such visit.

On July 1, the group organized a meeting and visited Baptist Child and Family Services to deliver toys.

However, an employee called the police immediately. Samara Hayley Steele, who was part of the group, said they tried explaining to the employees as well as the police that they were there only to deliver toys and if they weren’t allowed to see the children, then they could at least leave the playthings for them.

Steele said apart from DeCou, another person was also arrested. DeCou’s arrest video has gone viral and was seen by many.

The video, which was originally posted on the Facebook page of the group, was shared at least 44,000 times. It showed DeCou asking an officer why they weren’t allowed to visit the children, to which he says: “Are you going to step back on the sidewalk or no?”

DeCou replies, “No,” after which the officer takes the basket of toys from her and handcuffs her. It was not clear when DeCou was arrested and what charges were filed against her.

This is not the first time people were not allowed to visit the facility. Solano County officials told ABC10:

"Because the County has no contracts, service agreements or any knowledge as to what goes on at BCFS, one of our County Supervisors, Erin Hannigan and our Deputy Health and Social Services Director from Child Welfare Services, paid a visit to the location late last week. The place has received so much media attention as of late, they wanted to see for themselves what exactly goes on there. They were greeted at the door, however, after some persistence, not allowed to enter the facility. They were told that no migrant children who were separated from their parents are being housed there. That was the last communication the County has had with the facility, as far as I know."

An article by the Reporter claimed the facility was housing children who were unaccompanied minors who crossed the border on their own and not those who were separated from their parents.