Back in the 1990s, Elian's mother tried to take him to the US via a boat, which capsized of which his mother died, but he lived. I remember from reading Michael Moore that apparently the Cuban courts awarded custody of Elian to his father during the divorce which may explain why she did what she did.
Relatives of Elian's mother who live in Florida and dislike Castro, used bullshit human rights arguments to keep him here in the US. In short, they were using a kid and ignoring his relationship with his father for political grand standing. Because we all know if you don't hate the same people we do, you don't have human rights. Sorry Mr Gonzalez.
Saner heads pointed out just because the father might support communism there was no evidence that he was a bad father (especially since he didn't you know, risk his own kids life in a small boat with a faulty engine trying to take him into another country).
In the end after a gigantic media circus, Federal authorities took him away from the custody of his relatives and eventually repatriated him back to Cuba.
Digging through the archives we can find some arguments for keeping Elian here.
http://www.cato.org/publications/commen ... n-gonzalez
Now he is all grown up (age 20) and what does he think of all this?Elian Gonzalez’s mother died bringing him to a free country. That moves my emotions. Sending him back to a dictatorship that does not allow its subjects even to leave the country would be a grave injustice and a violation of his rights. That moves my reason. After weighing the reasons for and against sending Elian back to Cuba, I conclude that it would be wrong.
Let’s start with facts. Cuba is not just another country. It’s not that Cuba is poor; there are other relatively poor countries in the region, such as the Dominican Republic and Belize. What makes Cuba unlike all other countries in the Americas is this: Cuba is ruled with an iron fist by a single man, who exercises more power than any medieval king, who has executed some 15,000 of his opponents, and who tolerates no free press, no opposition parties, no criticism. To support his tyranny, he’s made it illegal to leave the country. Why? Because he considers “his people” the property of the state and that, since he is the state, they belong to him. Cuba is a vast island prison, and Fidel Castro is judge, jury and jailer.
Advocates of returning Elian to Cuba focus on the right of the sole surviving parent to make decisions concerning the child’s future. That is a very good reason to reunite father and son. But consider the fact that we cannot know with certainty what the father’s real beliefs are (how many prisoners would dare to openly express their preferences?). Consider also that sending the boy to Cuba is effectively a one-way trip to a prison that he will not be able to escape, even after he reaches adulthood. The father’s parental rights count, but other considerations should convince us to allow Elian’s uncle in Miami to assume responsibility for him.
Some say that it’s not the father’s fault that he lives under a dictatorship. I agree. In fact, I feel truly sorry for him. But if a father were unjustly imprisoned for life on Alcatraz, who among us would want to force his son into life imprisonment as well? Surely, we must respect the son’s rights, however much the father might want his son to be with him in prison. If there are capable guardians who can take responsibility for the child, then it is only reasonable to award custody to someone who can raise the boy to manhood — outside of prison. And there is a good candidate: Elian’s father’s own uncle, who is currently fighting for custody.
Remember that if Elian is sent to Cuba, he can never escape. It’s for life. But if he is allowed to stay, he can always go to Cuba upon reaching the age of consent. Sending him to Cuba is irreversible, but when he is old enough he can choose for himself where he wants to live.
linky
Oh I love this.
Elian Gonzalez makes first trip overseas since his return to Cuba
HAVANA - Elian Gonzalez, the young Cuban boy who survived a boat sinking and became a political football during the 2000 U.S. presidential campaign as the subject of an international custody fight, is on his first trip overseas since being reunited with his father.
Cuban state-run media say Gonzalez is in Ecuador this week as part of a 200-strong delegation to the 23rd World Festival of Youth and Students, which runs through Friday.
In a recent interview published on the official website Cubadebate, Gonzalez said living in Cuba afforded him more privacy than if he had stayed in the United States.
"I'm a little shy, so when I stand up somewhere and know that the whole world is looking at me and I'm perhaps the center of attention ... it's pretty tough," Gonzalez said.
"I'd rather pass unnoticed," he added.
Gonzalez was just shy of his sixth birthday when the small boat that was carrying him, his mother and a dozen others went down near Florida. Gonzalez's mother was among those who died, but he was found floating in an inner tube, rescued and taken to the United States.
A bitter court battle ensued between Gonzalez's father, who demanded the boy be returned to him in Cuba, and Miami relatives, who insisted he stay with them.
Gonzalez became a political cause celebre both in Cuba, where the government organized mass marches proclaiming his right to be with his father, and among Florida exiles, who argued it would be inhumane to send him back to Communist-run Cuba and said his mother's wish to take him to the U.S. should be respected.
The case culminated with a dramatic raid on a house where U.S. federal agents retrieved Gonzalez at gunpoint, and he was flown back to the island in June 2000.
Gonzalez has been almost entirely out of sight since then, his privacy fiercely guarded by his father and Cuban officials. He attended a military academy as a cadet for a time and is now studying industrial engineering at Camilo Cienfuegos University of Matanzas.
In the interview, which was published to coincide with his 20th birthday on Friday, Gonzalez said the young man he is today was shaped by lessons from his parents. He also spoke of his admiration for retired leader Fidel Castro, who kept close tabs on his welfare over the years.
"He always came for my birthday. I always looked forward to that moment," Gonzalez said. "I'm a person of few words (and) I clammed up when he was there, but it was enough to see him and give him that hug."
"I always remember what he told me: That I was already somebody, that the whole world knew who I was, and now what I had to do was be good at something, that's what he asked of me," Gonzalez added. "He never cared which path I took ... the intention was that I be good at whatever I did."
In a separate interview with CNN in Peru, Gonzalez blamed U.S. policy for his mother's death.
"Just like her, many others have died attempting to go to the United States. But it's the U.S. government's fault. Their unjust embargo provokes an internal and critical economic situation in Cuba," Gonzalez said.
Hate Castro if you like. But trying to deny a father his right to see his child just to take swipes at Castro, while at the same time hypocritically pontificating on human rights shows the true nature and calibre of certain people. I would love to be the metaphorical fly on the wall when some of these people read Elian's statement.In the interview, which was published to coincide with his 20th birthday on Friday, Gonzalez said the young man he is today was shaped by lessons from his parents. He also spoke of his admiration for retired leader Fidel Castro, who kept close tabs on his welfare over the years.
