fbpx
Wikipedia

Elián González

May 07, 2024

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Brotons.

Elián González Brotons (born December 6, 1993) is a Cuban industrial engineer and politician who, as a young child, became embroiled in an international custody and immigration controversy in 2000 involving the governments of Cuba and the United States, his father Juan Miguel González Quintana, his other relatives in Cuba and in Miami, and Miami's Cuban community.

Elián González
González (second from right) with his father, stepmother and half-brother in a photo taken a few hours after their reunion at Andrews Air Force Base in 2000
Member of the National Assembly of People's Power
Assumed office
April 19, 2023
ConstituencyCárdenas
Personal details
Born (1993-12-06) December 6, 1993 (age 30)
Cárdenas, Cuba[1]
Parent(s)Juan Miguel González Quintana (father)
Elizabeth Brotons Rodríguez (mother, deceased)
RelativesLázaro González (paternal great-uncle)
Alma materUniversity of Matanzas
Known forChild custody and immigration case

González's mother Elizabeth Brotons Rodríguez drowned in November 1999 while attempting to leave Cuba with González and her boyfriend to get to the United States.[2][3] Elián Gonzalez was five years old when found nestled in an inner tube floating at sea three miles (5 km) from Florida's Fort Lauderdale coast. Two fishermen found Elián and reluctantly handed him over to the U.S. Coast Guard, as they feared he would be sent back to Cuba under the wet feet, dry feet policy since he had not yet reached land.[4] The Coast Guard assured them that Elián would be taken "ashore for medical reasons", deeming him eligible to stay.[4]: 152  Elián was immediately taken to a hospital and treated for dehydration and minor cuts on his body. It was later found that Elián's mother, Elisabeth Brotons Rodríguez, and Lázaro Munero García, her common-law husband, had left Cárdenas, Cuba, as part of a group with 14 refugees on a 17 ft (5.2 m) boat.[4] However, the others died in a storm, while a young couple escaped to the shore, and Elián was found individually.

Once he had been treated, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) provided Elián with a temporary deferral regarding his inspection, and further released Elián to his great-uncle, Lázaro González, who lived with his family in Miami's Little Havana.[4] These relatives informed the family in Cárdenas to prepare for an extreme hardship visa waiver. The former were told the next day that "some functionary of the government would be coming to get the boy" as a result of Fidel Castro's having met with Juan Miguel, Elián's father.[4]: 153  The involvement of the Cuban Communist leader in the case and the subsequent diplomatic note written to the U.S. Department of State emphasizing the father's demand for Elián's repatriation attracted international attention.[4] This is because Elián had become a "symbol to many exiles" reminding them of the solidarity of the Cuban exile community and its privileged status with economic refugee criteria.[4]: 153  He subsequently became the subject of a custody battle waged by his father, Miami relatives, and state officials from the U.S. and Cuba.

After protracted legal wrangling, and intervention by Attorney General Janet Reno, it was determined that Elián would be returned to his father's custody. He was seized from the home of his Miami relatives in a raid by the INS; a dramatic photo of an INS agent confronting a relative holding Elián during the raid went on to win the 2001 Pulitzer Prize.[5] Elián's father in turn returned with him to Cuba. Elián grew up in Cuba, where he was well regarded by Fidel Castro. Elián went on to earn a degree in engineering, and has worked as an engineer in Cuba. Elián's story has been covered in popular culture; a museum in Cuba includes an exhibit about him. In 2023, he was nominated for a seat in the National Assembly of People's Power, and joined the body on April 19, 2023 representing the city of Cárdenas.[6]

Early life edit

Elián González was born December 6, 1993, to divorced parents.[1]

Journey to Florida edit

 
The journey from Cárdenas, Cuba, to Florida

On November 21, 1999, González, his mother Elizabeth Brotons Rodríguez, and twelve others left Cuba on a small aluminum boat with a faulty engine; González's mother and ten others died in the crossing. González and the other two survivors floated at sea until they were rescued by two fishermen, who handed them over to the United States Coast Guard.[7]

González's cousin Marisleysis said that the boat's motor broke down and they tried in vain to bail out the water with nylon bags, but a storm doomed their efforts. He told her he tried to help get the water out and his mother's boyfriend placed him in an inner tube for safety. "He said afterwards that he fell asleep and that when he woke up he never saw his mother again". He said, "I think she drowned too because she didn't know how to swim".[7]

Nivaldo Fernández Ferrán, one of the three survivors on the boat, said "Elizabeth protected her son to the end". According to Fernández Ferrán, they set out on their trip at 4 am, dragging inflated rubber floats, or inner tubes, in case they needed them. As they encountered bad weather, the boat's engine failed and the craft began to fill with water. After it went under, the passengers clung to the inner tubes in cold water, with waves reaching heights of three to four meters (10 to 13 feet).[8]

Afterwards, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) released González to his paternal great-uncle, Lázaro. According to The Washington Post, González's father, Juan Miguel González Quintana, had telephoned Lázaro from Cuba on November 22, 1999, to advise that González and his mother had left Cuba without Juan Miguel's knowledge, and to watch for their arrival.[9]

Custody dispute in the United States edit

Further information: Cuba–United States relations; Janet Reno; and Wet feet, dry feet policy

The U.S. legislation system had enacted the Cuban Adjustment Act in 1966, which sought to provide political asylum for Cubans who fled their country in the hopes of a new life. Under the act, Cuban refugees without visas entering the United States were paroled, and after a year could apply for permanent resident status.[4] The US also issued 20,000 lottery visas every year to Cuban emigrants under the wet foot, dry foot policy.[4] Under this policy, those who reached the mainland were granted asylum, while those who were intercepted at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard were sent back to Cuba.[4]

Lázaro González, backed by local Cuban Americans, took the position that the boy should remain in the United States and not be returned to his father. Marisleysis González (Lázaro's adult daughter) became Elián González's caretaker and spokesperson for the paternal relatives. Also, Armando Gutierrez, a local Cuban-American businessman, became a spokesman.[10] At the same time, Juan Miguel, with the support of Cuban authorities, demanded that his son be returned to Cuba.[citation needed]

On January 21, 2000, Elián González's grandmothers, Mariela Quintana and Raquel Rodríguez, flew from Havana to the United States to seek their grandson's return to Cuba. While they were able to meet with the boy only once at the Miami Beach home of Barry University president Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin, they journeyed to Washington and met with congressmen and Attorney General Janet Reno. After nine days of media coverage (during which Republican lawmakers acknowledged they did not have the votes to pass a bill to give González U.S. citizenship), they returned to Cuba to "a hero's welcome".[11]

On January 28, the Spanish foreign minister Abel Matutes called for the boy's return to Cuba, stating that international law dictated the return. Meanwhile, the González family in Miami denied allegations that they had offered Juan Miguel a house and a car if he abandoned the action and joined his son in Miami.[12] Juan Miguel was uninterested in emigrating.[13]

Through January and February, Juan Miguel sent a number of open letters to the U.S. government—published in, among other places, the Cuban newspaper Granma—demanding the return of his son and refusing the Miami relatives' demands.[14]

Chicago-based fathers' rights attorney Jeffery M. Leving spearheaded the amicus brief, which set the foundation of the custody case to reunite González with his father in Cuba.[15] Manuel González, Elián Gonzalez's great uncle, later retained Leving to reunite González with his father.[16][17][18]

On March 21, Judge Kevin Michael Moore of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida dismissed the relatives' petition for asylum which they had filed on behalf of Elián González. Lázaro vowed to appeal.[19] On March 29, Miami-Dade County mayor Alex Penelas was joined by 22 other civic leaders in a speech in downtown Miami. Penelas indicated that the municipality would not cooperate with Federal authorities on any repatriation of the boy, and would not lend police assets or any other assistance in taking the boy.

On April 14, a video was released in which Elián González told Juan Miguel that he wanted to stay in the United States.[20] However, many thought that he had been coached,[21] as a male voice was heard off-camera directing the young boy.[citation needed] In a September 2005 interview with 60 Minutes after being sent back to Cuba, González stated that during his stay in the U.S., his family members were "telling me bad things about [my father]", and "were also telling me to tell him that I did not want to go back to Cuba, and I always told them I wanted to."[22]

Elián González remained a subject of media attention as he went to Walt Disney World Resort one day, then met with politicians the next. Throughout the custody battle, opinion polls showed that a majority of Americans believed González should be returned to his father in Cuba, and that doing so was in the boy's best interest.[23]

Attorney General Janet Reno ordered the return of Elián González to his father and set a deadline of April 13, 2000, but the Miami relatives defied the order. Negotiations continued for several days as the house was surrounded by protesters as well as police. The relatives insisted on guarantees that they could live with the child for several months and retain custody, and that González would not be returned to Cuba. Negotiations carried on throughout the night, but Reno stated that the relatives rejected all workable solutions.[24]

On April 19, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta ruled that González must remain in the U.S. until his family in Miami could appeal for an asylum hearing in May.[25]

On January 10, 2000, a Florida state court had ruled that the Florida family court was able to decide the merit of motion related with temporary custody by Lázaro González, stating that Elián should stay with the Miami relatives until a further custody hearing. However, Attorney General Janet Reno declared that the federal courts are responsible for deciding this case, and that the Miami relatives must appeal to the federal court.[26] Here, the objective of Reno was to provide the relatives with a chance to provide "any information" they could that would be "relevant in the decision". She again emphasized that the INS commissioner had declared that the father speaks for the son, and that his wishes were to have his son returned to him.[27]

The judge's order cleared the way for González to be returned to his father's custody. On April 19, Reno accepted a last-ditch offer at mediation between González's relatives from University of Miami president Edward T. Foote II, Carlos Saladrigas, and Carlos de la Cruz. However, a day later Reno made the decision to remove González from the house if the negotiations failed and instructed law enforcement officials to determine the best time to obtain the boy. They decided to hold the raid on either Saturday, April 22, or Monday, April 24, to avoid Good Friday or Easter Sunday. President Bill Clinton urged Reno to keep the negotiations going but approved the raid if they failed.[28]

De la Cruz and Saladrigas convinced Gonzalez's relatives in Miami and their attorney Aaron Podhurst to allow Juan Miguel temporary custody over Elián while custody negotiations took place in a safe house in Miami. However, Juan Miguel and his attorney Gregory B. Craig rejected the deal and demanded that the boy be brought to Washington, D.C. They announced their reservations to the deal on the early morning of April 22, a matter of hours before the raid. Reno subsequently called Lázaro González at 2:00 am asking him to hand Elián over to the United States Marshals Service with the promise that she would fly to Miami in the morning to personally negotiate. However, the family refused out of fear that the government would remove Elián from Miami and that doing so would allow Cuban diplomats to abduct him. Fifteen minutes later, President Clinton and Chief of Staff John Podesta told Reno that she could have more time to negotiate with the family, but that she could order the raid if she so chose. Reno subsequently demanded that the family hand over Elian by 4 am without informing them of the impending raid.[28] After being informed of the decision, Marisleysis said to a United States Department of Justice community relations officer, "You think we just have cameras in the house? If people try to come in, they could be hurt."[24]

Seizure and reactions edit

 
A federal agent retrieves Elián from his relatives' home in Miami. This photo won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News.[5]

In the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, April 22, agents of the United States Border Patrol's special BORTAC unit, as part of an operation in which more than 130 Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel took part,[29] approached the house, knocked on the door, and identified themselves. When no one responded, they entered. At the same time, pepper-spray and mace were employed against persons outside who attempted to interfere.[30] In the confusion, Armando Gutierrez called in Alan Diaz, of the Associated Press, to enter the house and enter a room with González, his great uncle's wife Angela Lázaro, her niece, the niece's young son, and Donato Dalrymple (one of the two men who had rescued him from the ocean). They waited in the room listening to agents searching the house. Diaz took a widely publicized photograph of a border patrol agent confronting Dalrymple and the boy. INS subsequently flew Elian out of Miami aboard a Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System aircraft.[28]

INS also stated in the days after the raid that they had identified as many as two dozen persons who were "prepared to thwart any government operation", some of whom had concealed weapons while others had criminal records.[31][32]

Approximately 100 people protested against the raid as it took place, with some calling the INS agents "assassins".[33][clarification needed] Then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani described BORTAC agents involved in the seizure of Elian as "storm troopers" at least six times. Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association reacted with "strong disgust and dismay" to the Nazi imagery and demanded Giuliani's apology. Hillary Clinton, then running against Giuliani for the 2000 United States Senate election in New York, agreed with FLEOA in asking for an apology. Giuliani refused to apologize, although he stated his criticism was aimed at President Clinton and Attorney General Reno. He later withdrew from the race for unrelated reasons.[34]

Public opinion about the INS raid on the Miami González's house was widely polarized. There were two major focuses in media coverage of the event: the raid and the family reunions.[35] A Time magazine issue showed a photo of a joyful González being reunited with his father (the caption says "Papa!"), while Newsweek ran an issue that focused on the raid, entitled "Seizing Elián".[36]

Return to father's custody edit

Four hours after he was taken from the house in Miami, González and his father were reunited at Andrews Air Force Base.[37] The next day, the White House released a photograph showing a smiling González reunited with his father, which the Miami relatives disputed by stating that it was a fake González in the photograph.[38] Later, González and his family were taken to the Aspen Institute Wye River Conference Center in Maryland (formerly known as "Wye Plantation"). The media were barred from access to the family.[39]

While the family was still at Andrews, the Miami González relatives flew to Washington demanding to see Elián. They and their escort, New Hampshire senator Bob Smith, were turned away from the base by guards.[28] The May 5, 2000, Miami Herald reported that González was joined by his classmates (without their parents) and his teacher from his hometown, Cárdenas. The newspaper Granma released pictures of Elián in his José Martí Pioneer Organization uniform.[40] On May 6, 2000, attorney Craig took González and Juan Miguel to a dinner in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, hosted by Smith and Elizabeth Bagley.[41]

After González was returned to his father's custody, he remained in the U.S. while the Miami relatives exhausted their legal options. A three-judge federal panel had ruled that he could not go back to Cuba until he was granted an asylum hearing, but the case turned on the right of the relatives to request that hearing on behalf of the boy.[42] On June 1, 2000, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Elián was too young to file for asylum; only his father could speak for him, and the relatives lacked legal standing.[43] On June 28, 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the decision.[44] In the afternoon of the same day, seven months and one week after Elián González left Cuba, he and his family, along with his classmates and teacher, boarded two chartered planes at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, for José Martí International Airport in Havana.[45]

Political ramifications edit

Commentators have suggested that the Elián González affair may have been a factor in voters' decisions in the 2000 United States presidential election, which was decided by the United States Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore decision halting the 2000 United States presidential election recount in Florida and awarding the state's 25 electoral votes to the Republican Party candidate George W. Bush.[46] The Gonzalez case is believed to have been a major factor in Bush's narrow lead in the state as the raid caused Cuban-Americans in Florida to strongly favor him over the Democratic Party nominee Al Gore.[47][48][49][50][51] Polls in 2001 indicated that Bush captured 80 percent of the Florida Cuban-American vote in 2000, 50,000 votes more than the previous Republican nominee Bob Dole's 65 percent of the Florida Cuban-American vote in the 1996 United States presidential election.[47] Later, the 2020 HBO documentary 537 Votes argued that Bush may have achieved as high as 88 percent of the Florida Cuban-American vote.[47] Gore's handling of the matter may have angered the predominantly Republican Cuban community over the boy's return to Cuba.[52] Gore initially supported Republican legislation to give the boy and his father permanent residence status,[53] but later supported the administration position. He was attacked by both sides in the dispute for his equivocal position.[54]

In Cuba, the Elián González matter generated popular mobilization across the island seeking González's return.[55]: 138–139  Acting on the popular sentiment, Fidel Castro launched a campaign called the Battle of Ideas, which centered on a series of educational initiatives designed to advance socialist ideals including the revolutionary New Man.[55]: 139 

Life in Cuba edit

Youth and schooling edit

After his return to Cuba, Elián González lived with his father, stepmother, and three brothers in Cárdenas,[56][57] where his father, Juan Miguel, was a waiter at an Italian restaurant at Josone Park,[58] in Varadero, near Cárdenas. Elián's father was interviewed at the restaurant in 2004 by Keith Morrison of the NBC News program Dateline NBC and Cover to Cover on CNBC. Juan Miguel filmed a home video on which González was shown doing his arithmetic homework with Juan Miguel in their dining room, going to bed in his bedroom with his two younger half-brothers, and attending karate lessons.[59]

Morrison's TV report also showed an 18th-century building in Cárdenas which was previously used as a fire station and which was renovated and inaugurated on July 14, 2001, as a museum, called Museo de la Batalla de Ideas ("Museum of the Battle of Ideas"), which includes an exhibition room dedicated to González, which houses a life-size bronze statue of González raising a clenched fist. The former González home in Miami has similarly been turned into a museum, with the boy's bedroom left unaltered.[60] Juan Miguel is also a member of the National Assembly of People's Power and has attended events for the Communist Party of Cuba with González, who has been called up to the stage to meet Fidel Castro.

In September 2005, González was interviewed by 60 Minutes and stated during the interview that Fidel Castro was a friend, and that he considers Castro "not only as a friend but as a father"; González's aunt, Angela González, said she doubted whether the interview represented his true beliefs because of the alleged controls imposed by Cuba on information.[61] In December 2006, an ill Fidel Castro was unable to attend González's 13th birthday celebration, so his brother Raúl attended instead.[62]

On August 16, 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of an excessive force lawsuit brought by Dalrymple and others against the federal government and Reno.[30]

González joined the Young Communist Union of Cuba in June 2008 shortly after graduating from junior high school. At age 15, he began military school.[63][64] In a November 2013 speech, González described his time in the United States as "very sad times for me, which marked me for my whole life", asserting that the Cuban Adjustment Act led to the denial of his rights, including "the right to be together with my father, the right to keep my nationality and to remain in my cultural context".[65]

College and political career edit

In the 2010s, González studied to be an industrial engineer, and hoped to marry his high school girlfriend and fiancée after finishing college. In July 2016, he received a degree in industrial engineering from the University of Matanzas, and read a letter to Fidel Castro from his graduating class, vowing "to fight from whatever trench the revolution demands".[66] After graduating in 2016, González began working as a technology specialist at a state-run company that makes large plastic water tanks.[67] On Father's Day in 2020, González announced that he and his fiancée were expecting a daughter within the following months.[68]

In 2013 González led the Cuban delegation to the 18th World Festival of Youth and Students in Quito, Ecuador. In an interview with CNN en Español he blamed his mother's death on economic impact of the United States embargo against Cuba, which he held to be responsible for the economic underdevelopment of the country.[69] González also stated that he was happy that he did not stay in the United States, saying that he would have been manipulated into becoming a "performer" for the Cuban dissident movement and the American media.[57] He also stated, "I don't profess to have any religion, but if I did my God would be Fidel Castro."[70]

In 2015, González was elected to lead his local Committee for the Defense of the Revolution, prompting speculation that he was preparing for a political career.[71][72] In an interview with the Communist Party of Cuba's official newspaper Granma that year, Gonzalez defended socialism and stated that economic liberalization could result in Cuba becoming a poorer "colony" dominated by the United States. In another interview with ABC News he reiterated his condemnation of the embargo and satisfaction with the outcome of the custody dispute, but expressed hope for better Cuba–United States relations in the future and stated he would like to return to the United States one day "to give my love to the American people".[57][73][74][75]

González was nominated by the municipal assembly of Cárdenas to run as its candidate for the National Assembly of People's Power in the 2023 Cuban parliamentary election.[76][77][78] He was elected unopposed along with the CPC's slate of 470 candidates[79] and sworn into office in April 2023.[6]

Depictions in popular culture edit

The struggle between González's American family and his father was portrayed in the 2000 television film, A Family In Crisis: The Elian Gonzales Story, which starred Esai Morales as Elián's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez; Laura Harring as Elián's cousin Marisleysis Gonzalez; and Alec Roberts in the title role.[80]

Elián is a 2017 documentary film directed by Ross McDonnell and Tim Golden, produced by Trevor Birney and executive produced by Alex Gibney. The film details González's story with exclusive interviews with him and his family in both Cuba and Miami. The film was co-produced by Fine Point Films and Jigsaw Productions and has a voiceover by Raul Esparza. The film premiered on April 19, 2017, at the Tribeca Film Festival. It opened in limited release in May, and appeared on CNN Films in August 2017.[81]

The Elián González incident was the inspiration for an episode of the TV Show JAG (Season 6, Episode 3: "Florida Straits" aired Oct. 17, 2000).[82] The episode depicts a similar fictional situation, with slight differences leading to a different legal outcome. Direct references are made to the Elián González incident as a recent event and a legal precedent. Some of the facts and details are also directly inspired from it.

The 2000 conflict centered upon González was parodied in the South Park episode "Quintuplets 2000".[83]

The story was parodied in the first sketch of the Freddie Prinze, Jr. hosted episode of Saturday Night Live, as a part of its 25th season in 2000. González was played by Chris Kattan, while his aunt and uncle were portrayed by Ana Gasteyer and Horatio Sanz, respectively.

A song titled "Baby Elian" was released by the Manic Street Preachers in 2001 along with their album Know Your Enemy. The song was famously played at the Karl Marx Theatre in Cuba, with Cuban leader Fidel Castro rising to applaud the song.[84]

The controversy was covered in the opening news reel of season four of For All Mankind. In the alternate history, Al Gore won the 2000 United States presidential election in part by fighting to keep Elián González in the United States.

Elián González is referenced Chappelle’s Show episode “Samuel Jackson Beer & Racial Draft”, where the Latino community drafts him to everyone’s surprise.

See also edit

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ a b "Elián González". Biography.com. February 28, 2019.
  2. ^ "Elian's relatives at war". BBC News. April 18, 2000.
  3. ^ Haberman, Clyde (January 14, 2000). "NYC; A Tug of War As Complex As War". The New York Times.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cova, A. D. (2015). The Elian Gonzalez case: The world's most-watched and politically-charged custody battle that reached the U.S. Supreme Court and determined a presidential election. Harvard Latino Law Review, 18(1), 152–200.
  5. ^ a b "2001 Pulitzer Prizes". pulitzer.org.
  6. ^ a b Rodriguez, Andrea (June 30, 2023). "Elián González 23 years later: From a focus of international custody battle to member of Cuba's congress". PBS NewsHour. Associated Press. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Plemming, Sue (March 27, 2000). . cubanet.org, quoting a Fox News article. Archived from the original on January 12, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  8. ^ Ray, Diana (February 14, 2000). "A Love Supreme". BNET, quoting insightmag.com. Retrieved October 6, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "The Politics of Elian". The Wall Street Journal. April 6, 2000. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  10. ^ Johnston, David (April 21, 2000). "THE ELIAN GONZALEZ CASE: THE OVERVIEW; U.S. Gathers Officers, Preparing To Take Cuban From Miami Kin". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  11. ^ "Heroes' welcome for Elian grandmothers". BBC. January 30, 2000. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  12. ^ "Spain backs Cuba over custody row". BBC. January 18, 2000. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  13. ^ By (April 16, 2000). "DESPITE OVERTURES, ELIAN'S DAD HAS NO DESIRE TO DEFECT – Sun Sentinel". Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  14. ^ "Elian's father makes new appeal". BBC. February 15, 2000. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  15. ^ The Group Who Filed Elian Gonzalez Brief, Supports INS Decision, PR Newswire, January 7, 2000. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  16. ^ Jeffery Leving, attorney for Elian's great uncle Manuel Gonzalez, discusses the Elian Gonzalez custody hearing, CNN, May 11, 2000. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  17. ^ Intervenor Applicant's Resp. to Pls.’ and Defs.’ Opp’n to Mot. to Intervene and Mot. for Relief Under Rule 17(c) at 1, 14., Gonzalez v. Reno, 86 F. Supp. 2d (S.D. Fla. 2000) (No. 00-0206).
  18. ^ Kapos, Shia (November 5, 2013). "Elian Gonzalez case comes full circle for Jeffery Leving". Crain's Chicago Business.
  19. ^ "Elian asylum case dismissed". BBC. March 21, 2000. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  20. ^ "Elian Says He Wants To Stay In USA". www.cbsnews.com. April 13, 2000. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  21. ^ Padgett, Tim (June 28, 2015). "How The Battle Over Elián González Helped Change U.S. Cuba Policy". NPR.org.
  22. ^ "Elian interview sparks Miami row". BBC News. September 30, 2005. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  23. ^ Newport, Frank (April 4, 2000). "Americans Continue to Favor the Return of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba". Gallup News Service. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  24. ^ a b Martin, Patrick (April 25, 2000). "Rescue of Elian Gonzalez intensifies political crisis in US". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  25. ^ Bragg, Rick (April 20, 2000). "THE ELIAN GONZALEZ CASE: THE OVERVIEW; Cuban Boy Stays in U.S. for Now, a Court Decides". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  26. ^ "The Elian Gonzalez case: Chronology; Custody Tug of War Over Cuban Boy". The New York Times. Agence France-Presse. April 14, 2000.
  27. ^ "Reno Press Conference (2000)". c-span.org.
  28. ^ a b c d Thomas, Evan (May 1, 2000). "Raid and Reunion". Newsweek. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  29. ^ . Radio Havana. August 2000. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. (See awards to INS for bravery)
  30. ^ a b (PDF). United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. August 16, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  31. ^ Deyoung, Karen (April 28, 2000). "Officials feared danger in Elian raid". The Washington Post (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Retrieved June 18, 2007.[dead link]
  32. ^ Leahy, Patrick (June 8, 2000). . United States Senate. Archived from the original on June 1, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  33. ^ . CNN. April 22, 2000. Archived from the original on August 14, 2013.
  34. ^ Elisabeth Bumiller (April 26, 2000). "Mayor Says 'Storm Trooper' Reflects Truth in Miami Case". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  35. ^ Smith, Terence (April 24, 2000). . Public Broadcasting Service. Archived from the original on December 10, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  36. ^ . Tufts E-News. April 24, 2000. Archived from the original on July 13, 2003. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  37. ^ DeYoung, Karen (April 23, 2000). "Raid Reunites Elian and Father; U.S. Agents Seize Boy From Relatives and Fly Him Here; Protests Erupt in Miami". The Washington Post. p. A01.
  38. ^ Robles, Frances; Wheat, Jack (April 24, 2000). "Reunion Photo Stirs Controversy". Miami Herald. p. 7A.
  39. ^ "Raid critics still plan Senate hearings on Elian". The Palm Beach Post. April 26, 2000. p. 10A.
  40. ^ Borger, Julian (May 30, 2000). "Soft landing for castaway Elian as Cuba rolls out tattered red carpet". The Guardian.
  41. ^ Sands, David R. (June 2, 2000). "Elian's dad lauds court custody ruling". The Washington Times.
  42. ^ Bragg, Rick (March 12, 2000). "Judges Ask Tough Questions About Cuban Boy's Interests". The New York Times.
  43. ^ . CNN. June 15, 2000. Archived from the original on May 19, 2008.
  44. ^ . Associated Press. June 28, 2000. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
  45. ^ . CNN. June 28, 2000. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013.
  46. ^ Cotterell, Bill. "New documentary recasts the 2000 presidential vote in Florida as the Elian election". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  47. ^ a b c Schneider, William (May 1, 2001). "Elián González Defeated Al Gore". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  48. ^ . CNN. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  49. ^ Seelye, Katharine Q. (March 30, 2000). "Boy's Case Could Sway Bush-Gore Contest". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  50. ^ "The Hispanic Vote and the U.S. Presidential Election". wharton.upenn.edu. Knowledge@Wharton Network, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. November 3, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2008.
  51. ^ Alter, Jonathan (April 23, 2006). "Taking Sides". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  52. ^ Marks, Ted (May 2000). "The Saga of Elian Gonzalez: A News Media Riot?". MFAMedia.com.
  53. ^ 1. [106th] Whereas the mother of Elian Gonzalez sacrificed her life in fleeing Cuba to bring her son to a free country; (Introduced in House) [H.RES.480.IH] 2. [106th] Expressing the sense of Congress that Elian Gonzalez should be reunited with his father, Juan Gonzalez of Cuba. (Introduced in Senate) [S.CON.RES.79.IS] 3 . [106th] Expressing the sense of Congress that Elian Gonzalez should be reunited with his father, Juan Gonzalez of Cuba. (Introduced in House) [H.CON.RES.240.IH] 4. [106th] For the relief of Elian Gonzalez and other family members. (Placed on Calendar in Senate) [S.2314.PCS] 5. [106th] For the relief of Elian Gonzalez. (Introduced in House) [H.R.3532.IH] 6. [106th] For the relief of Elian Gonzalez-Brotons. (Placed on Calendar in Senate)[S.1999.PCS ][PDF] 7. [106th] For the relief of Elian Gonzalez-Brotons. (Introduced in House) [H.R.3531.IH]
  54. ^ Clymer, Adam (June 2, 2000). "While Conservatives and Liberals React, Gore and George Bush Hedge on Ruling". The New York Times. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
  55. ^ a b Cederlöf, Gustav (2023). The Low-Carbon Contradiction: Energy Transition, Geopolitics, and the Infrastructural State in Cuba. Critical environments: nature, science, and politics. Oakland, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-39313-4.
  56. ^ Gonazelez, David (July 8, 2000). "Cardenas Journal; The Town That's Proud to Say Elian Lives Here". The New York Times.
  57. ^ a b c Avila, Jim (May 21, 2015). "Elian Gonzalez, Now Grown, Opens Up About Life in Cuba" (Video). Nightline. ABC News. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  58. ^ Sequera, Vivian (November 23, 2000). . The Topeka Capital-Journal. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016 – via cjonline.com.
  59. ^ Morrison, Keith (March 20, 2016). "Video of Elian Gonzales". Dateline NBC – via nbcnews.com.
  60. ^ "Elian's Miami home turned into shrine". BBC News. October 22, 2001. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  61. ^ "Elian interview sparks Miami row". BBC News. September 30, 2005. Retrieved July 18, 2006.
  62. ^ . Fox News Channel. Associated Press. December 6, 2006. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
  63. ^ . CNN. Associated Press. June 15, 2008. Archived from the original on June 16, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
  64. ^ "Elian 'joins Cuba's communists'". BBC News. June 16, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  65. ^ . Fox News Latino. November 19, 2013. Archived from the original on November 20, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  66. ^ . Fox News Latino. July 15, 2016. Archived from the original on July 15, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  67. ^ Oppmann, Patrick (August 24, 2017). "Cuba's Elián González says he wants to reconcile with his Miami relatives". CNN. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  68. ^ Oppmann, Patrick (June 21, 2020). "On Father's Day, Cuba's Elian Gonzalez announces he's set to become a dad". CNN.
  69. ^ Oppmann, Andres Lopez Cindy Y. Rodriguez,Patrick (December 10, 2013). "Elian Gonzalez slams U.S. embargo against Cuba". CNN. Retrieved May 3, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  70. ^ Oppmann, Patrick (October 14, 2015). "15 years after his rescue from inner tube, Elian Gonzalez still a hero in Cuba". CNN. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  71. ^ Oppmann, Patrick (August 15, 2017). "Elian Gonzalez: 'I'm involved with the work of the revolution'". CNN. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  72. ^ Londoño, Ernesto (July 9, 2015). "Increasingly Visible, Cuba's Elián González Champions Island's Government". Taking Note. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  73. ^ "Elián González: "The youth aren't the future, they're the present"". en.granma.cu. June 29, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  74. ^ Bailey, Phillip M. "Elián González, known in US for international custody fight, now an elected official in Cuba". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  75. ^ Romo, Vanessa (February 8, 2023). "Elián González nearly became an American. Now, he's poised to become a Cuban lawmaker". National Public Radio. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  76. ^ "Elian Gonzalez, whose custody battle stoked Cold War-era tensions, set to become Cuban lawmaker". ABC7 New York. February 7, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  77. ^ Luscombe, Richard (February 8, 2023). "Elián González poised to be top Cuban lawmaker decades after Florida deportation". The Guardian. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  78. ^ "Cuban Elian Gonzalez, rescued at sea as boy, now running for parliament". France24. Agence France-Presse. February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  79. ^ "Elian Gonzalez, from 'little rafter' in Miami to congressman in Cuba". WFLA. March 28, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  80. ^ A Family In Crisis: The Elian Gonzales Story at IMDb  
  81. ^ "Elián documentary revisits painful chapter in Cuban-American history". Miami Herald.
  82. ^ Florida Straits at IMDb  
  83. ^ Bauder, David (April 27, 2000). "'South Park' Parodies Reno on Raid". Associated Press. from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  84. ^ "Manic Street Preachers – Baby Elian".
  85. ^ Daniels, Roger (2005). Guarding the golden door: American immigration policy and immigrants since 1882. Macmillan. p. 209. ISBN 0-8090-5344-6.
  86. ^ . Archived from the original on July 26, 2011.

Further reading edit

  • Allatson, Paul, and Molina Guzman, Isabel. "The Elián González Discursive Template: Mediating Children in Multiple Spheres of Conflict”, Journal of Children and Media 2.3 (September 2008): 248–63.
  • de la Cova, Antonio Rafael. "The Elian Gonzalez Case: The World's Most Watched and Politically-Charged Custody Battle that Reached the U.S. Supreme Court and Determined a Presidential Election", Harvard Latino Law Review, Vol. 18, Spring 2015, pp. 501–49.
  • De La Torre, Miguel A., "La Lucha for Cuba: Religion and Politics on the Streets of Miami", University of California Press, 2003.

External links edit

  • – slideshow by Time magazine
  • (in Spanish) Official Cuban website December 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine: about the custody battle for Elián
  • . Time. 2000. Archived from the original on July 9, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  • García Márquez, Gabriel (March 29, 2000). . Juventud Rebelde. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013.
  • Morrison, Keith (August 1, 2004). "Finding Elian". Dateline NBC. NBC News.
  • Gibbs, Stephen (April 22, 2005). "What happened to Elian Gonzalez?". BBC.
  • , CBP Today – May 2004 article on U.S. Border Patrol BORTAC Program
  • Elián González and the Cuban Crisis: 10 years later article by The Guardian
  • Elián: What Have We Learned?
  • Elián, thanks to Fidel Castro

May 07, 2024
elián, gonzález, this, spanish, name, first, paternal, surname, gonzález, second, maternal, family, name, brotons, brotons, born, december, 1993, cuban, industrial, engineer, politician, young, child, became, embroiled, international, custody, immigration, con. In this Spanish name the first or paternal surname is Gonzalez and the second or maternal family name is Brotons Elian Gonzalez Brotons born December 6 1993 is a Cuban industrial engineer and politician who as a young child became embroiled in an international custody and immigration controversy in 2000 involving the governments of Cuba and the United States his father Juan Miguel Gonzalez Quintana his other relatives in Cuba and in Miami and Miami s Cuban community Elian GonzalezGonzalez second from right with his father stepmother and half brother in a photo taken a few hours after their reunion at Andrews Air Force Base in 2000Member of the National Assembly of People s PowerIncumbentAssumed office April 19 2023ConstituencyCardenasPersonal detailsBorn 1993 12 06 December 6 1993 age 30 Cardenas Cuba 1 Parent s Juan Miguel Gonzalez Quintana father Elizabeth Brotons Rodriguez mother deceased RelativesLazaro Gonzalez paternal great uncle Alma materUniversity of MatanzasKnown forChild custody and immigration case Gonzalez s mother Elizabeth Brotons Rodriguez drowned in November 1999 while attempting to leave Cuba with Gonzalez and her boyfriend to get to the United States 2 3 Elian Gonzalez was five years old when found nestled in an inner tube floating at sea three miles 5 km from Florida s Fort Lauderdale coast Two fishermen found Elian and reluctantly handed him over to the U S Coast Guard as they feared he would be sent back to Cuba under the wet feet dry feet policy since he had not yet reached land 4 The Coast Guard assured them that Elian would be taken ashore for medical reasons deeming him eligible to stay 4 152 Elian was immediately taken to a hospital and treated for dehydration and minor cuts on his body It was later found that Elian s mother Elisabeth Brotons Rodriguez and Lazaro Munero Garcia her common law husband had left Cardenas Cuba as part of a group with 14 refugees on a 17 ft 5 2 m boat 4 However the others died in a storm while a young couple escaped to the shore and Elian was found individually Once he had been treated the Immigration and Naturalization Service INS provided Elian with a temporary deferral regarding his inspection and further released Elian to his great uncle Lazaro Gonzalez who lived with his family in Miami s Little Havana 4 These relatives informed the family in Cardenas to prepare for an extreme hardship visa waiver The former were told the next day that some functionary of the government would be coming to get the boy as a result of Fidel Castro s having met with Juan Miguel Elian s father 4 153 The involvement of the Cuban Communist leader in the case and the subsequent diplomatic note written to the U S Department of State emphasizing the father s demand for Elian s repatriation attracted international attention 4 This is because Elian had become a symbol to many exiles reminding them of the solidarity of the Cuban exile community and its privileged status with economic refugee criteria 4 153 He subsequently became the subject of a custody battle waged by his father Miami relatives and state officials from the U S and Cuba After protracted legal wrangling and intervention by Attorney General Janet Reno it was determined that Elian would be returned to his father s custody He was seized from the home of his Miami relatives in a raid by the INS a dramatic photo of an INS agent confronting a relative holding Elian during the raid went on to win the 2001 Pulitzer Prize 5 Elian s father in turn returned with him to Cuba Elian grew up in Cuba where he was well regarded by Fidel Castro Elian went on to earn a degree in engineering and has worked as an engineer in Cuba Elian s story has been covered in popular culture a museum in Cuba includes an exhibit about him In 2023 he was nominated for a seat in the National Assembly of People s Power and joined the body on April 19 2023 representing the city of Cardenas 6 Contents 1 Early life 1 1 Journey to Florida 1 2 Custody dispute in the United States 1 3 Seizure and reactions 1 4 Return to father s custody 1 5 Political ramifications 2 Life in Cuba 2 1 Youth and schooling 2 2 College and political career 3 Depictions in popular culture 4 See also 5 Footnotes 6 Further reading 7 External linksEarly life editElian Gonzalez was born December 6 1993 to divorced parents 1 Journey to Florida edit nbsp The journey from Cardenas Cuba to Florida On November 21 1999 Gonzalez his mother Elizabeth Brotons Rodriguez and twelve others left Cuba on a small aluminum boat with a faulty engine Gonzalez s mother and ten others died in the crossing Gonzalez and the other two survivors floated at sea until they were rescued by two fishermen who handed them over to the United States Coast Guard 7 Gonzalez s cousin Marisleysis said that the boat s motor broke down and they tried in vain to bail out the water with nylon bags but a storm doomed their efforts He told her he tried to help get the water out and his mother s boyfriend placed him in an inner tube for safety He said afterwards that he fell asleep and that when he woke up he never saw his mother again He said I think she drowned too because she didn t know how to swim 7 Nivaldo Fernandez Ferran one of the three survivors on the boat said Elizabeth protected her son to the end According to Fernandez Ferran they set out on their trip at 4 am dragging inflated rubber floats or inner tubes in case they needed them As they encountered bad weather the boat s engine failed and the craft began to fill with water After it went under the passengers clung to the inner tubes in cold water with waves reaching heights of three to four meters 10 to 13 feet 8 Afterwards the Immigration and Naturalization Service INS released Gonzalez to his paternal great uncle Lazaro According to The Washington Post Gonzalez s father Juan Miguel Gonzalez Quintana had telephoned Lazaro from Cuba on November 22 1999 to advise that Gonzalez and his mother had left Cuba without Juan Miguel s knowledge and to watch for their arrival 9 Custody dispute in the United States edit Further information Cuba United States relations Janet Reno and Wet feet dry feet policy The U S legislation system had enacted the Cuban Adjustment Act in 1966 which sought to provide political asylum for Cubans who fled their country in the hopes of a new life Under the act Cuban refugees without visas entering the United States were paroled and after a year could apply for permanent resident status 4 The US also issued 20 000 lottery visas every year to Cuban emigrants under the wet foot dry foot policy 4 Under this policy those who reached the mainland were granted asylum while those who were intercepted at sea by the U S Coast Guard were sent back to Cuba 4 Lazaro Gonzalez backed by local Cuban Americans took the position that the boy should remain in the United States and not be returned to his father Marisleysis Gonzalez Lazaro s adult daughter became Elian Gonzalez s caretaker and spokesperson for the paternal relatives Also Armando Gutierrez a local Cuban American businessman became a spokesman 10 At the same time Juan Miguel with the support of Cuban authorities demanded that his son be returned to Cuba citation needed On January 21 2000 Elian Gonzalez s grandmothers Mariela Quintana and Raquel Rodriguez flew from Havana to the United States to seek their grandson s return to Cuba While they were able to meet with the boy only once at the Miami Beach home of Barry University president Sister Jeanne O Laughlin they journeyed to Washington and met with congressmen and Attorney General Janet Reno After nine days of media coverage during which Republican lawmakers acknowledged they did not have the votes to pass a bill to give Gonzalez U S citizenship they returned to Cuba to a hero s welcome 11 On January 28 the Spanish foreign minister Abel Matutes called for the boy s return to Cuba stating that international law dictated the return Meanwhile the Gonzalez family in Miami denied allegations that they had offered Juan Miguel a house and a car if he abandoned the action and joined his son in Miami 12 Juan Miguel was uninterested in emigrating 13 Through January and February Juan Miguel sent a number of open letters to the U S government published in among other places the Cuban newspaper Granma demanding the return of his son and refusing the Miami relatives demands 14 Chicago based fathers rights attorney Jeffery M Leving spearheaded the amicus brief which set the foundation of the custody case to reunite Gonzalez with his father in Cuba 15 Manuel Gonzalez Elian Gonzalez s great uncle later retained Leving to reunite Gonzalez with his father 16 17 18 On March 21 Judge Kevin Michael Moore of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida dismissed the relatives petition for asylum which they had filed on behalf of Elian Gonzalez Lazaro vowed to appeal 19 On March 29 Miami Dade County mayor Alex Penelas was joined by 22 other civic leaders in a speech in downtown Miami Penelas indicated that the municipality would not cooperate with Federal authorities on any repatriation of the boy and would not lend police assets or any other assistance in taking the boy On April 14 a video was released in which Elian Gonzalez told Juan Miguel that he wanted to stay in the United States 20 However many thought that he had been coached 21 as a male voice was heard off camera directing the young boy citation needed In a September 2005 interview with 60 Minutes after being sent back to Cuba Gonzalez stated that during his stay in the U S his family members were telling me bad things about my father and were also telling me to tell him that I did not want to go back to Cuba and I always told them I wanted to 22 Elian Gonzalez remained a subject of media attention as he went to Walt Disney World Resort one day then met with politicians the next Throughout the custody battle opinion polls showed that a majority of Americans believed Gonzalez should be returned to his father in Cuba and that doing so was in the boy s best interest 23 Attorney General Janet Reno ordered the return of Elian Gonzalez to his father and set a deadline of April 13 2000 but the Miami relatives defied the order Negotiations continued for several days as the house was surrounded by protesters as well as police The relatives insisted on guarantees that they could live with the child for several months and retain custody and that Gonzalez would not be returned to Cuba Negotiations carried on throughout the night but Reno stated that the relatives rejected all workable solutions 24 On April 19 the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta ruled that Gonzalez must remain in the U S until his family in Miami could appeal for an asylum hearing in May 25 On January 10 2000 a Florida state court had ruled that the Florida family court was able to decide the merit of motion related with temporary custody by Lazaro Gonzalez stating that Elian should stay with the Miami relatives until a further custody hearing However Attorney General Janet Reno declared that the federal courts are responsible for deciding this case and that the Miami relatives must appeal to the federal court 26 Here the objective of Reno was to provide the relatives with a chance to provide any information they could that would be relevant in the decision She again emphasized that the INS commissioner had declared that the father speaks for the son and that his wishes were to have his son returned to him 27 The judge s order cleared the way for Gonzalez to be returned to his father s custody On April 19 Reno accepted a last ditch offer at mediation between Gonzalez s relatives from University of Miami president Edward T Foote II Carlos Saladrigas and Carlos de la Cruz However a day later Reno made the decision to remove Gonzalez from the house if the negotiations failed and instructed law enforcement officials to determine the best time to obtain the boy They decided to hold the raid on either Saturday April 22 or Monday April 24 to avoid Good Friday or Easter Sunday President Bill Clinton urged Reno to keep the negotiations going but approved the raid if they failed 28 De la Cruz and Saladrigas convinced Gonzalez s relatives in Miami and their attorney Aaron Podhurst to allow Juan Miguel temporary custody over Elian while custody negotiations took place in a safe house in Miami However Juan Miguel and his attorney Gregory B Craig rejected the deal and demanded that the boy be brought to Washington D C They announced their reservations to the deal on the early morning of April 22 a matter of hours before the raid Reno subsequently called Lazaro Gonzalez at 2 00 am asking him to hand Elian over to the United States Marshals Service with the promise that she would fly to Miami in the morning to personally negotiate However the family refused out of fear that the government would remove Elian from Miami and that doing so would allow Cuban diplomats to abduct him Fifteen minutes later President Clinton and Chief of Staff John Podesta told Reno that she could have more time to negotiate with the family but that she could order the raid if she so chose Reno subsequently demanded that the family hand over Elian by 4 am without informing them of the impending raid 28 After being informed of the decision Marisleysis said to a United States Department of Justice community relations officer You think we just have cameras in the house If people try to come in they could be hurt 24 Seizure and reactions edit nbsp A federal agent retrieves Elian from his relatives home in Miami This photo won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News 5 In the pre dawn hours of Saturday April 22 agents of the United States Border Patrol s special BORTAC unit as part of an operation in which more than 130 Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel took part 29 approached the house knocked on the door and identified themselves When no one responded they entered At the same time pepper spray and mace were employed against persons outside who attempted to interfere 30 In the confusion Armando Gutierrez called in Alan Diaz of the Associated Press to enter the house and enter a room with Gonzalez his great uncle s wife Angela Lazaro her niece the niece s young son and Donato Dalrymple one of the two men who had rescued him from the ocean They waited in the room listening to agents searching the house Diaz took a widely publicized photograph of a border patrol agent confronting Dalrymple and the boy INS subsequently flew Elian out of Miami aboard a Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System aircraft 28 INS also stated in the days after the raid that they had identified as many as two dozen persons who were prepared to thwart any government operation some of whom had concealed weapons while others had criminal records 31 32 Approximately 100 people protested against the raid as it took place with some calling the INS agents assassins 33 clarification needed Then New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani described BORTAC agents involved in the seizure of Elian as storm troopers at least six times Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association reacted with strong disgust and dismay to the Nazi imagery and demanded Giuliani s apology Hillary Clinton then running against Giuliani for the 2000 United States Senate election in New York agreed with FLEOA in asking for an apology Giuliani refused to apologize although he stated his criticism was aimed at President Clinton and Attorney General Reno He later withdrew from the race for unrelated reasons 34 Public opinion about the INS raid on the Miami Gonzalez s house was widely polarized There were two major focuses in media coverage of the event the raid and the family reunions 35 A Time magazine issue showed a photo of a joyful Gonzalez being reunited with his father the caption says Papa while Newsweek ran an issue that focused on the raid entitled Seizing Elian 36 Return to father s custody edit Four hours after he was taken from the house in Miami Gonzalez and his father were reunited at Andrews Air Force Base 37 The next day the White House released a photograph showing a smiling Gonzalez reunited with his father which the Miami relatives disputed by stating that it was a fake Gonzalez in the photograph 38 Later Gonzalez and his family were taken to the Aspen Institute Wye River Conference Center in Maryland formerly known as Wye Plantation The media were barred from access to the family 39 While the family was still at Andrews the Miami Gonzalez relatives flew to Washington demanding to see Elian They and their escort New Hampshire senator Bob Smith were turned away from the base by guards 28 The May 5 2000 Miami Herald reported that Gonzalez was joined by his classmates without their parents and his teacher from his hometown Cardenas The newspaper Granma released pictures of Elian in his Jose Marti Pioneer Organization uniform 40 On May 6 2000 attorney Craig took Gonzalez and Juan Miguel to a dinner in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington DC hosted by Smith and Elizabeth Bagley 41 After Gonzalez was returned to his father s custody he remained in the U S while the Miami relatives exhausted their legal options A three judge federal panel had ruled that he could not go back to Cuba until he was granted an asylum hearing but the case turned on the right of the relatives to request that hearing on behalf of the boy 42 On June 1 2000 the 11th U S Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Elian was too young to file for asylum only his father could speak for him and the relatives lacked legal standing 43 On June 28 2000 the U S Supreme Court declined to review the decision 44 In the afternoon of the same day seven months and one week after Elian Gonzalez left Cuba he and his family along with his classmates and teacher boarded two chartered planes at Dulles International Airport in Dulles Virginia for Jose Marti International Airport in Havana 45 Political ramifications edit Commentators have suggested that the Elian Gonzalez affair may have been a factor in voters decisions in the 2000 United States presidential election which was decided by the United States Supreme Court s Bush v Gore decision halting the 2000 United States presidential election recount in Florida and awarding the state s 25 electoral votes to the Republican Party candidate George W Bush 46 The Gonzalez case is believed to have been a major factor in Bush s narrow lead in the state as the raid caused Cuban Americans in Florida to strongly favor him over the Democratic Party nominee Al Gore 47 48 49 50 51 Polls in 2001 indicated that Bush captured 80 percent of the Florida Cuban American vote in 2000 50 000 votes more than the previous Republican nominee Bob Dole s 65 percent of the Florida Cuban American vote in the 1996 United States presidential election 47 Later the 2020 HBO documentary 537 Votes argued that Bush may have achieved as high as 88 percent of the Florida Cuban American vote 47 Gore s handling of the matter may have angered the predominantly Republican Cuban community over the boy s return to Cuba 52 Gore initially supported Republican legislation to give the boy and his father permanent residence status 53 but later supported the administration position He was attacked by both sides in the dispute for his equivocal position 54 In Cuba the Elian Gonzalez matter generated popular mobilization across the island seeking Gonzalez s return 55 138 139 Acting on the popular sentiment Fidel Castro launched a campaign called the Battle of Ideas which centered on a series of educational initiatives designed to advance socialist ideals including the revolutionary New Man 55 139 Life in Cuba editYouth and schooling edit After his return to Cuba Elian Gonzalez lived with his father stepmother and three brothers in Cardenas 56 57 where his father Juan Miguel was a waiter at an Italian restaurant at Josone Park 58 in Varadero near Cardenas Elian s father was interviewed at the restaurant in 2004 by Keith Morrison of the NBC News program Dateline NBC and Cover to Cover on CNBC Juan Miguel filmed a home video on which Gonzalez was shown doing his arithmetic homework with Juan Miguel in their dining room going to bed in his bedroom with his two younger half brothers and attending karate lessons 59 Morrison s TV report also showed an 18th century building in Cardenas which was previously used as a fire station and which was renovated and inaugurated on July 14 2001 as a museum called Museo de la Batalla de Ideas Museum of the Battle of Ideas which includes an exhibition room dedicated to Gonzalez which houses a life size bronze statue of Gonzalez raising a clenched fist The former Gonzalez home in Miami has similarly been turned into a museum with the boy s bedroom left unaltered 60 Juan Miguel is also a member of the National Assembly of People s Power and has attended events for the Communist Party of Cuba with Gonzalez who has been called up to the stage to meet Fidel Castro In September 2005 Gonzalez was interviewed by 60 Minutes and stated during the interview that Fidel Castro was a friend and that he considers Castro not only as a friend but as a father Gonzalez s aunt Angela Gonzalez said she doubted whether the interview represented his true beliefs because of the alleged controls imposed by Cuba on information 61 In December 2006 an ill Fidel Castro was unable to attend Gonzalez s 13th birthday celebration so his brother Raul attended instead 62 On August 16 2006 the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of an excessive force lawsuit brought by Dalrymple and others against the federal government and Reno 30 Gonzalez joined the Young Communist Union of Cuba in June 2008 shortly after graduating from junior high school At age 15 he began military school 63 64 In a November 2013 speech Gonzalez described his time in the United States as very sad times for me which marked me for my whole life asserting that the Cuban Adjustment Act led to the denial of his rights including the right to be together with my father the right to keep my nationality and to remain in my cultural context 65 College and political career edit In the 2010s Gonzalez studied to be an industrial engineer and hoped to marry his high school girlfriend and fiancee after finishing college In July 2016 he received a degree in industrial engineering from the University of Matanzas and read a letter to Fidel Castro from his graduating class vowing to fight from whatever trench the revolution demands 66 After graduating in 2016 Gonzalez began working as a technology specialist at a state run company that makes large plastic water tanks 67 On Father s Day in 2020 Gonzalez announced that he and his fiancee were expecting a daughter within the following months 68 In 2013 Gonzalez led the Cuban delegation to the 18th World Festival of Youth and Students in Quito Ecuador In an interview with CNN en Espanol he blamed his mother s death on economic impact of the United States embargo against Cuba which he held to be responsible for the economic underdevelopment of the country 69 Gonzalez also stated that he was happy that he did not stay in the United States saying that he would have been manipulated into becoming a performer for the Cuban dissident movement and the American media 57 He also stated I don t profess to have any religion but if I did my God would be Fidel Castro 70 In 2015 Gonzalez was elected to lead his local Committee for the Defense of the Revolution prompting speculation that he was preparing for a political career 71 72 In an interview with the Communist Party of Cuba s official newspaper Granma that year Gonzalez defended socialism and stated that economic liberalization could result in Cuba becoming a poorer colony dominated by the United States In another interview with ABC News he reiterated his condemnation of the embargo and satisfaction with the outcome of the custody dispute but expressed hope for better Cuba United States relations in the future and stated he would like to return to the United States one day to give my love to the American people 57 73 74 75 Gonzalez was nominated by the municipal assembly of Cardenas to run as its candidate for the National Assembly of People s Power in the 2023 Cuban parliamentary election 76 77 78 He was elected unopposed along with the CPC s slate of 470 candidates 79 and sworn into office in April 2023 6 Depictions in popular culture editThis article contains a list of miscellaneous information Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles July 2023 The struggle between Gonzalez s American family and his father was portrayed in the 2000 television film A Family In Crisis The Elian Gonzales Story which starred Esai Morales as Elian s father Juan Miguel Gonzalez Laura Harring as Elian s cousin Marisleysis Gonzalez and Alec Roberts in the title role 80 Elian is a 2017 documentary film directed by Ross McDonnell and Tim Golden produced by Trevor Birney and executive produced by Alex Gibney The film details Gonzalez s story with exclusive interviews with him and his family in both Cuba and Miami The film was co produced by Fine Point Films and Jigsaw Productions and has a voiceover by Raul Esparza The film premiered on April 19 2017 at the Tribeca Film Festival It opened in limited release in May and appeared on CNN Films in August 2017 81 The Elian Gonzalez incident was the inspiration for an episode of the TV Show JAG Season 6 Episode 3 Florida Straits aired Oct 17 2000 82 The episode depicts a similar fictional situation with slight differences leading to a different legal outcome Direct references are made to the Elian Gonzalez incident as a recent event and a legal precedent Some of the facts and details are also directly inspired from it The 2000 conflict centered upon Gonzalez was parodied in the South Park episode Quintuplets 2000 83 The story was parodied in the first sketch of the Freddie Prinze Jr hosted episode of Saturday Night Live as a part of its 25th season in 2000 Gonzalez was played by Chris Kattan while his aunt and uncle were portrayed by Ana Gasteyer and Horatio Sanz respectively A song titled Baby Elian was released by the Manic Street Preachers in 2001 along with their album Know Your Enemy The song was famously played at the Karl Marx Theatre in Cuba with Cuban leader Fidel Castro rising to applaud the song 84 The controversy was covered in the opening news reel of season four of For All Mankind In the alternate history Al Gore won the 2000 United States presidential election in part by fighting to keep Elian Gonzalez in the United States Elian Gonzalez is referenced Chappelle s Show episode Samuel Jackson Beer amp Racial Draft where the Latino community drafts him to everyone s surprise See also edit nbsp Cuba portal nbsp United States portal nbsp Politics portal Cuban exile Cuba United States relations Operation Peter Pan 1960 1962 Parental rights Yossele Schumacher affair a similar occurrence Polovchak v Meese an earlier child asylum case 1980 1985 viewed by some as a precedent 85 86 Footnotes edit a b Elian Gonzalez Biography com February 28 2019 Elian s relatives at war BBC News April 18 2000 Haberman Clyde January 14 2000 NYC A Tug of War As Complex As War The New York Times a b c d e f g h i j Cova A D 2015 The Elian Gonzalez case The world s most watched and politically charged custody battle that reached the U S Supreme Court and determined a presidential election Harvard Latino Law Review 18 1 152 200 a b 2001 Pulitzer Prizes pulitzer org a b Rodriguez Andrea June 30 2023 Elian Gonzalez 23 years later From a focus of international custody battle to member of Cuba s congress PBS NewsHour Associated Press Retrieved June 30 2023 a b Plemming Sue March 27 2000 Cuban boy draws picture of shipwreck drama cubanet org quoting a Fox News article Archived from the original on January 12 2009 Retrieved October 6 2008 Ray Diana February 14 2000 A Love Supreme BNET quoting insightmag com Retrieved October 6 2008 permanent dead link The Politics of Elian The Wall Street Journal April 6 2000 Retrieved April 14 2015 Johnston David April 21 2000 THE ELIAN GONZALEZ CASE THE OVERVIEW U S Gathers Officers Preparing To Take Cuban From Miami Kin The New York Times Retrieved February 19 2018 Heroes welcome for Elian grandmothers BBC January 30 2000 Retrieved June 18 2007 Spain backs Cuba over custody row BBC January 18 2000 Retrieved June 18 2007 By April 16 2000 DESPITE OVERTURES ELIAN S DAD HAS NO DESIRE TO DEFECT Sun Sentinel Retrieved May 18 2023 Elian s father makes new appeal BBC February 15 2000 Retrieved June 18 2007 The Group Who Filed Elian Gonzalez Brief Supports INS Decision PR Newswire January 7 2000 Retrieved August 29 2016 Jeffery Leving attorney for Elian s great uncle Manuel Gonzalez discusses the Elian Gonzalez custody hearing CNN May 11 2000 Retrieved August 29 2016 Intervenor Applicant s Resp to Pls and Defs Opp n to Mot to Intervene and Mot for Relief Under Rule 17 c at 1 14 Gonzalez v Reno 86 F Supp 2d S D Fla 2000 No 00 0206 Kapos Shia November 5 2013 Elian Gonzalez case comes full circle for Jeffery Leving Crain s Chicago Business Elian asylum case dismissed BBC March 21 2000 Retrieved June 18 2007 Elian Says He Wants To Stay In USA www cbsnews com April 13 2000 Retrieved May 10 2022 Padgett Tim June 28 2015 How The Battle Over Elian Gonzalez Helped Change U S Cuba Policy NPR org Elian interview sparks Miami row BBC News September 30 2005 Retrieved October 6 2008 Newport Frank April 4 2000 Americans Continue to Favor the Return of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba Gallup News Service Retrieved June 20 2009 a b Martin Patrick April 25 2000 Rescue of Elian Gonzalez intensifies political crisis in US World Socialist Web Site Retrieved June 18 2007 Bragg Rick April 20 2000 THE ELIAN GONZALEZ CASE THE OVERVIEW Cuban Boy Stays in U S for Now a Court Decides The New York Times Retrieved May 11 2020 The Elian Gonzalez case Chronology Custody Tug of War Over Cuban Boy The New York Times Agence France Presse April 14 2000 Reno Press Conference 2000 c span org a b c d Thomas Evan May 1 2000 Raid and Reunion Newsweek Retrieved April 14 2015 INS Awards Agents Who Rescued Elian Gonzalez Radio Havana August 2000 Archived from the original on February 18 2012 See awards to INS for bravery a b D C Docket No 03 20588 CV KMM PDF United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit August 16 2006 Archived from the original PDF on June 15 2007 Retrieved June 18 2007 Deyoung Karen April 28 2000 Officials feared danger in Elian raid The Washington Post Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Retrieved June 18 2007 dead link Leahy Patrick June 8 2000 Statement of Patrick Leahy Ranking Member Senate Judiciary Committee Concerning the Elian Gonzalez Case Subpoena United States Senate Archived from the original on June 1 2007 Retrieved June 18 2007 Federal agents seize Elian in predawn raid Boy to be reunited with his father in Maryland CNN April 22 2000 Archived from the original on August 14 2013 Elisabeth Bumiller April 26 2000 Mayor Says Storm Trooper Reflects Truth in Miami Case The New York Times Retrieved June 26 2020 Smith Terence April 24 2000 Dueling Images Public Broadcasting Service Archived from the original on December 10 2007 Retrieved June 18 2007 Tufts Expert Says Privacy Emotional Support Needed for Elian Gonzalez Tufts E News April 24 2000 Archived from the original on July 13 2003 Retrieved June 18 2007 DeYoung Karen April 23 2000 Raid Reunites Elian and Father U S Agents Seize Boy From Relatives and Fly Him Here Protests Erupt in Miami The Washington Post p A01 Robles Frances Wheat Jack April 24 2000 Reunion Photo Stirs Controversy Miami Herald p 7A Raid critics still plan Senate hearings on Elian The Palm Beach Post April 26 2000 p 10A Borger Julian May 30 2000 Soft landing for castaway Elian as Cuba rolls out tattered red carpet The Guardian Sands David R June 2 2000 Elian s dad lauds court custody ruling The Washington Times Bragg Rick March 12 2000 Judges Ask Tough Questions About Cuban Boy s Interests The New York Times Court gives government and father deadline to respond in Elian Gonzalez case CNN June 15 2000 Archived from the original on May 19 2008 Supreme Court refuses to block Elian Gonzalez s return to Cuba Associated Press June 28 2000 Archived from the original on October 25 2012 Elian Gonzalez leaves U S for Cuba CNN June 28 2000 Archived from the original on August 28 2013 Cotterell Bill New documentary recasts the 2000 presidential vote in Florida as the Elian election Tallahassee Democrat Retrieved May 3 2023 a b c Schneider William May 1 2001 Elian Gonzalez Defeated Al Gore The Atlantic Retrieved May 3 2023 Special Event CNN Archived from the original on November 3 2020 Retrieved May 1 2010 Seelye Katharine Q March 30 2000 Boy s Case Could Sway Bush Gore Contest The New York Times Retrieved May 1 2010 The Hispanic Vote and the U S Presidential Election wharton upenn edu Knowledge Wharton Network Wharton School University of Pennsylvania November 3 2004 Retrieved October 3 2008 Alter Jonathan April 23 2006 Taking Sides The New York Times Retrieved May 1 2010 Marks Ted May 2000 The Saga of Elian Gonzalez A News Media Riot MFAMedia com 1 106th Whereas the mother of Elian Gonzalez sacrificed her life in fleeing Cuba to bring her son to a free country Introduced in House H RES 480 IH 2 106th Expressing the sense of Congress that Elian Gonzalez should be reunited with his father Juan Gonzalez of Cuba Introduced in Senate S CON RES 79 IS 3 106th Expressing the sense of Congress that Elian Gonzalez should be reunited with his father Juan Gonzalez of Cuba Introduced in House H CON RES 240 IH 4 106th For the relief of Elian Gonzalez and other family members Placed on Calendar in Senate S 2314 PCS 5 106th For the relief of Elian Gonzalez Introduced in House H R 3532 IH 6 106th For the relief of Elian Gonzalez Brotons Placed on Calendar in Senate S 1999 PCS PDF 7 106th For the relief of Elian Gonzalez Brotons Introduced in House H R 3531 IH Clymer Adam June 2 2000 While Conservatives and Liberals React Gore and George Bush Hedge on Ruling The New York Times Retrieved June 15 2008 a b Cederlof Gustav 2023 The Low Carbon Contradiction Energy Transition Geopolitics and the Infrastructural State in Cuba Critical environments nature science and politics Oakland California University of California Press ISBN 978 0 520 39313 4 Gonazelez David July 8 2000 Cardenas Journal The Town That s Proud to Say Elian Lives Here The New York Times a b c Avila Jim May 21 2015 Elian Gonzalez Now Grown Opens Up About Life in Cuba Video Nightline ABC News Retrieved May 11 2020 Sequera Vivian November 23 2000 One year after fateful crossing Elian is fading memory in Cuba The Topeka Capital Journal Associated Press Archived from the original on April 1 2016 via cjonline com Morrison Keith March 20 2016 Video of Elian Gonzales Dateline NBC via nbcnews com Elian s Miami home turned into shrine BBC News October 22 2001 Retrieved June 18 2007 Elian interview sparks Miami row BBC News September 30 2005 Retrieved July 18 2006 Raul Castro Attends Elian Gonzalez s 13th Birthday Party Fox News Channel Associated Press December 6 2006 Archived from the original on October 21 2012 Retrieved June 15 2008 Elian Gonzalez joins Cuba s youth Communists CNN Associated Press June 15 2008 Archived from the original on June 16 2008 Retrieved June 15 2008 Elian joins Cuba s communists BBC News June 16 2008 Retrieved May 1 2010 Elian Gonzalez My Time In The U S Marked Me For My Whole Life Fox News Latino November 19 2013 Archived from the original on November 20 2013 Retrieved November 19 2013 Elian Gonzalez onetime political football now a college grad in Cuba Fox News Latino July 15 2016 Archived from the original on July 15 2016 Retrieved July 16 2016 Oppmann Patrick August 24 2017 Cuba s Elian Gonzalez says he wants to reconcile with his Miami relatives CNN Retrieved May 11 2020 Oppmann Patrick June 21 2020 On Father s Day Cuba s Elian Gonzalez announces he s set to become a dad CNN Oppmann Andres Lopez Cindy Y Rodriguez Patrick December 10 2013 Elian Gonzalez slams U S embargo against Cuba CNN Retrieved May 3 2023 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Oppmann Patrick October 14 2015 15 years after his rescue from inner tube Elian Gonzalez still a hero in Cuba CNN Retrieved May 3 2023 Oppmann Patrick August 15 2017 Elian Gonzalez I m involved with the work of the revolution CNN Retrieved May 3 2023 Londono Ernesto July 9 2015 Increasingly Visible Cuba s Elian Gonzalez Champions Island s Government Taking Note Retrieved May 3 2023 Elian Gonzalez The youth aren t the future they re the present en granma cu June 29 2015 Retrieved May 3 2023 Bailey Phillip M Elian Gonzalez known in US for international custody fight now an elected official in Cuba USA TODAY Retrieved May 3 2023 Romo Vanessa February 8 2023 Elian Gonzalez nearly became an American Now he s poised to become a Cuban lawmaker National Public Radio Retrieved March 5 2023 Elian Gonzalez whose custody battle stoked Cold War era tensions set to become Cuban lawmaker ABC7 New York February 7 2023 Retrieved May 3 2023 Luscombe Richard February 8 2023 Elian Gonzalez poised to be top Cuban lawmaker decades after Florida deportation The Guardian Retrieved February 8 2023 Cuban Elian Gonzalez rescued at sea as boy now running for parliament France24 Agence France Presse February 7 2023 Retrieved February 8 2023 Elian Gonzalez from little rafter in Miami to congressman in Cuba WFLA March 28 2023 Retrieved May 3 2023 A Family In Crisis The Elian Gonzales Story at IMDb nbsp Elian documentary revisits painful chapter in Cuban American history Miami Herald Florida Straits at IMDb nbsp Bauder David April 27 2000 South Park Parodies Reno on Raid Associated Press Archived from the original on April 30 2022 Retrieved April 30 2022 Manic Street Preachers Baby Elian Daniels Roger 2005 Guarding the golden door American immigration policy and immigrants since 1882 Macmillan p 209 ISBN 0 8090 5344 6 ACLU amicus brief in the Elian Gonzalez matter IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA No 00 0206 CIV HOEVELER Archived from the original on July 26 2011 Further reading editAllatson Paul and Molina Guzman Isabel The Elian Gonzalez Discursive Template Mediating Children in Multiple Spheres of Conflict Journal of Children and Media 2 3 September 2008 248 63 de la Cova Antonio Rafael The Elian Gonzalez Case The World s Most Watched and Politically Charged Custody Battle that Reached the U S Supreme Court and Determined a Presidential Election Harvard Latino Law Review Vol 18 Spring 2015 pp 501 49 De La Torre Miguel A La Lucha for Cuba Religion and Politics on the Streets of Miami University of California Press 2003 External links editA Brief History of the Elian Gonzalez Affair slideshow by Time magazine in Spanish Official Cuban website Archived December 10 2010 at the Wayback Machine about the custody battle for Elian The Year in Pictures Elian Gonzalez Time 2000 Archived from the original on July 9 2007 Retrieved June 18 2007 Garcia Marquez Gabriel March 29 2000 Elian Shipwrecked on Dry Land Juventud Rebelde Archived from the original on June 17 2013 Morrison Keith August 1 2004 Finding Elian Dateline NBC NBC News Gibbs Stephen April 22 2005 What happened to Elian Gonzalez BBC BORTAC defusing the hot spots CBP Today May 2004 article on U S Border Patrol BORTAC Program Elian Gonzalez and the Cuban Crisis 10 years later article by The Guardian Elian What Have We Learned Elian thanks to Fidel Castro Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Elian Gonzalez amp oldid 1221122543, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.