Elián González facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elián González
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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
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| Member of the National Assembly of People's Power | |
| Assumed office April 19, 2023 |
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| Constituency | Cárdenas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 6, 1993 Cárdenas, Cuba |
| Political party | Communist Party of Cuba |
| Parents | Juan Miguel González Quintana (father) Elizabeth Brotons Rodríguez (mother, deceased) |
| Relatives | Lázaro González (paternal great-uncle) |
| Alma mater | University of Matanzas |
| Known for | Child custody and immigration case |
Elián González Brotons (born December 6, 1993) is a Cuban engineer and politician. When he was six years old, he became the center of a big international argument. This argument was about who should take care of him. It involved his family, the country of Cuba, and the United States.
On November 21, 1999, Elián's mother, her partner, and Elián left Cuba by boat. They were trying to reach the United States. The boat sank during the trip. Elián's mother and most of the others on the boat died. Elián was found floating on an inner tube. Two fishermen rescued him and gave him to the United States Coast Guard. Elián was taken to a hospital for dehydration and small cuts.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) let Elián stay in the U.S. for a short time. They placed him with his great-uncle, Lázaro González, in Miami. His great-uncle wanted Elián to stay in the U.S. But Elián's father, Juan Miguel González, wanted his son to come back to Cuba. This started a long and public fight over who should have Elián. It involved his father, his Miami relatives, and officials from both the U.S. and Cuba. Elián was returned to his father's care after the INS took him from his Miami relatives' home on April 22, 2000. They went back to Cuba when the legal fight ended on June 28, 2000.
Elián González grew up in Cuba. He earned a degree in engineering and worked as an industrial engineer. In 2023, he was chosen to be a member of the National Assembly of People's Power. He represents the area of Cárdenas, Cuba.
Contents
Elián's Early Life
Elián González was born on December 6, 1993. His parents divorced in 1991. They separated for good in 1996 but stayed close with their son. They shared time with Elián. He spent up to five nights a week with his father or one of his grandmothers. The rest of the time he spent with his mother.
The Journey to Florida
On November 21, 1999, Elián, his mother Elizabeth Brotons Rodríguez, and twelve other people left Cuba. They were on a small aluminum boat with a broken engine. Elián's mother and ten others died during the trip. Their bodies were never found. Elián floated at sea on an inner tube. Two fishermen rescued him and gave him to the United States Coast Guard. Two other people from the trip, a young couple, reached the Florida coast separately.
Elián later told his adult cousin, Marisleysis, what happened. He said the boat's engine stopped working. They tried to scoop water out with bags, but a storm made it impossible. He said he tried to help. His mother's boyfriend put him in an inner tube to keep him safe. Elián said he fell asleep. When he woke up, he never saw his mother again. He thought she had drowned because she couldn't swim.
Nivaldo Fernández Ferrán, one of the three survivors, said Elián's mother protected her son until the end. He said they started their trip at 4 AM. They had inflatable inner tubes with them. When bad weather hit, the boat's engine failed and it started to fill with water. After the boat sank, the passengers held onto the inner tubes in cold water. The waves were very high.
After this, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) let Elián stay with his great-uncle, Lázaro. Elián's father, Juan Miguel González Quintana, had called Lázaro from Cuba on November 22, 1999. He told Lázaro that Elián and his mother had left Cuba without his knowledge. He asked Lázaro to watch for their arrival.
The Custody Fight in the United States
The U.S. had a law called the Cuban Adjustment Act from 1966. This law helped Cubans who left their country to find a new life in the U.S. Under this law, Cuban refugees without special papers could stay. After one year, they could apply to become permanent residents. The U.S. also gave out 20,000 special visas each year to Cubans. This was part of the Wet feet, dry feet policy. If Cubans reached the U.S. mainland, they could stay. If the U.S. Coast Guard stopped them at sea, they were sent back to Cuba.
Lázaro González and many Cuban Americans in Miami believed Elián should stay in the United States. Marisleysis González, Lázaro's adult daughter, took care of Elián. She also spoke for the Miami relatives. At the same time, Elián's father, Juan Miguel, wanted his son back in Cuba. The Cuban government supported him.
On January 21, 2000, Elián's grandmothers, Mariela Quintana and Raquel Rodríguez, flew from Cuba to the U.S. They wanted their grandson to return to Cuba. They met with Elián only once. They also went to Washington and met with lawmakers and Attorney General Janet Reno. After nine days, they returned to Cuba.
On January 28, the Spanish foreign minister said Elián should go back to Cuba. He said international law meant Elián should be returned. The Miami family denied offering Juan Miguel a house and a car if he moved to Miami. Juan Miguel said he did not want to move.
Through January and February, Juan Miguel sent many open letters to the U.S. government. He demanded his son's return. He refused the Miami relatives' demands.
A lawyer named Jeffery M. Leving helped Elián's father. He worked on the legal case to reunite Elián with his father in Cuba.
On March 21, a judge in Florida said the Miami relatives could not ask for asylum for Elián. Lázaro said he would appeal this decision. On March 29, the mayor of Miami-Dade County, Alex Penelas, said the city would not help federal officials take the boy.
On April 14, a video was released. In it, Elián told his father he wanted to stay in the United States. But many people thought someone was telling him what to say. In a 2005 interview, Elián said that while he was in the U.S., his family members were "telling me bad things about [my father]." He said they told him to say he didn't want to go back to Cuba. But he always told them he wanted to.
Elián González remained in the news. He visited Walt Disney World Resort and met with politicians. During the custody fight, most Americans thought Elián should go back to his father in Cuba. They believed it was best for the boy.
Attorney General Janet Reno ordered Elián to be returned to his father by April 13, 2000. But the Miami relatives did not follow the order. Negotiations continued for several days. Protesters and police surrounded the house. The relatives wanted to keep Elián for several months and make sure he would not go back to Cuba. Reno said the relatives rejected all good solutions.
On April 19, a court in Atlanta ruled that Elián must stay in the U.S. This was until his Miami family could ask for an asylum hearing in May.
On January 10, 2000, a Florida state court said the Florida family court could decide if Lázaro González could have temporary custody. It said Elián should stay with the Miami relatives until a custody hearing. But Attorney General Janet Reno said federal courts were in charge of this case. She said the Miami relatives must appeal to the federal court. Reno wanted to give the relatives a chance to give "any information" that would be "important in the decision." She again said that the INS commissioner had stated the father speaks for the son. His wish was to have his son returned to him.
The judge's order meant Elián could be returned to his father. On April 19, Reno accepted a last offer to try to solve the problem. This offer came from university leaders and businessmen. But a day later, Reno decided to remove Elián from the house if talks failed. She told law enforcement officials to find the best time to get the boy. They decided to do the raid on Saturday, April 22, or Monday, April 24. This was to avoid Good Friday or Easter Sunday. President Bill Clinton asked Reno to keep talking, but he approved the raid if talks failed.
The businessmen convinced Elián's Miami relatives and their lawyer to let Juan Miguel have temporary care of Elián. This would happen while they talked about custody in a safe house in Miami. But Juan Miguel and his lawyer rejected the deal. They demanded that the boy be brought to Washington, D.C.. They announced their concerns early on April 22, just hours before the raid. Reno then called Lázaro González at 2:00 AM. She asked him to give Elián to the United States Marshals Service. She promised to fly to Miami in the morning to talk in person. But the family refused. They feared the government would take Elián from Miami and that Cuban officials would take him. Fifteen minutes later, President Clinton and his Chief of Staff told Reno she could have more time to talk. But they also said she could order the raid if she chose. Reno then demanded the family hand over Elián by 4 AM. She did not tell them about the coming raid. After hearing the decision, Marisleysis told a government officer, "You think we just have cameras in the house? If people try to come in, they could be hurt."
The Seizure and Public Reaction
Early on Saturday, April 22, 2000, special agents from the United States Border Patrol went to the house. More than 130 immigration officers were part of the operation. They knocked on the door and said who they were. When no one answered, they went inside. At the same time, pepper-spray was used on people outside who tried to stop them. In the confusion, Armando Gutierrez called a photographer, Alan Diaz, from the Associated Press. Diaz went into a room with Elián, his great-uncle's wife, her niece, the niece's young son, and Donato Dalrymple (one of the men who rescued Elián from the ocean). They waited in the room, listening to agents searching the house. Diaz took a famous photo of a border patrol agent facing Dalrymple and the boy. The INS then flew six-year-old Elián out of Miami on a government plane.
The INS also said that they found about two dozen people who were "ready to stop any government action." Some had hidden weapons, and others had criminal records.
About 100 people protested the raid. Some called the INS agents "killers." The mayor of New York City at the time, Rudy Giuliani, called the agents involved in taking Elián "storm troopers" many times. The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association was very upset by these words. They asked Giuliani to apologize. Hillary Clinton, who was running against Giuliani, also asked for an apology. Giuliani refused to apologize. He said his criticism was aimed at President Clinton and Attorney General Reno. He later left the race for other reasons.
Public opinion about the INS raid was very divided. News coverage focused on two main things: the raid and the family reunions. A Time magazine cover showed a happy Elián reuniting with his father. Newsweek focused on the raid, with the title "Seizing Elián."
The struggle between Elián's American family and his father was shown in a 2000 TV movie.
Returning to His Father's Care
Four hours after he was taken from the house in Miami, Elián and his father were reunited at Andrews Air Force Base. The next day, the White House released a photo showing a smiling Elián with his father. The Miami relatives said the photo was fake. Later, Elián and his family went to a conference center in Maryland. The media was not allowed to see the family.
While the family was still at the air base, the Miami relatives flew to Washington. They demanded to see Elián. They and their escort, Senator Bob Smith, were turned away by guards. On May 5, 2000, the Miami Herald reported that Elián was joined by his classmates and teacher from his hometown, Cárdenas. The Cuban newspaper Granma showed pictures of Elián in his youth organization uniform. On May 6, 2000, Elián's father and his lawyer went to a dinner in Washington, D.C.
After Elián was returned to his father, he stayed in the U.S. while the Miami relatives tried all their legal options. A group of three federal judges had ruled that he could not go back to Cuba until he had an asylum hearing. But the case was about whether the relatives had the right to ask for that hearing for the boy. On June 1, 2000, a court ruled that Elián was too young to ask for asylum himself. Only his father could speak for him. The relatives did not have the legal right to make that request. On June 28, 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to review the case. That afternoon, seven months and one week after Elián González left Cuba, he and his family, along with his classmates and teacher, boarded two planes at Dulles International Airport. They flew to José Martí International Airport in Havana.
Political Impact
Some people believe the Elián González case affected how people voted in the 2000 United States presidential election. That election was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. The raid on Elián's home made Cuban-Americans in Florida strongly support the Republican candidate, George W. Bush. This may have helped Bush win Florida by a small number of votes. Polls in 2001 showed that Bush got 80 percent of the Cuban-American vote in Florida in 2000. This was much more than the previous Republican candidate. The Democratic candidate, Al Gore, was criticized by both sides for his changing position on the matter.
In Cuba, the Elián González case caused many people across the island to demand Elián's return. Fidel Castro started a campaign called the Battle of Ideas. This campaign focused on teaching socialist ideas, including the idea of a "New Man."
Life in Cuba
Growing Up and School
After returning to Cuba, Elián González lived with his father, stepmother, and three brothers in Cárdenas. His father, Juan Miguel, worked as a waiter at an Italian restaurant. In 2004, a TV reporter interviewed Juan Miguel at the restaurant. Juan Miguel showed a home video of Elián doing homework, going to bed with his younger half-brothers, and taking karate lessons.
The TV report also showed an old building in Cárdenas. It used to be a fire station. It was fixed up and opened on July 14, 2001, as a museum. It is called Museo de la Batalla de Ideas ("Museum of the Battle of Ideas"). It has a room about Elián. There is a life-size bronze statue of Elián raising his fist. The old González home in Miami was also turned into a museum. Elián's bedroom there was left as it was. Juan Miguel is also a member of the National Assembly of People's Power. He has attended events for the Communist Party of Cuba with Elián. Elián has been called on stage to meet Fidel Castro.
In September 2005, Elián was interviewed. He said Fidel Castro was a friend and like a father to him. Elián's aunt, Angela González, doubted if this was what he truly believed. She thought Cuba might control what he said. In December 2006, Fidel Castro was too sick to go to Elián's 13th birthday party. His brother Raúl went instead.
In August 2006, a U.S. court upheld the decision to dismiss a lawsuit. This lawsuit was brought by Dalrymple and others against the government for using too much force during the raid.
Elián joined the Young Communist Union of Cuba in June 2008. This was soon after he finished junior high school. At age 15, he started military school. In a speech in November 2013, Elián said his time in the United States was "very sad times for me." He said it affected him for his whole life. He said the Cuban Adjustment Act took away his rights. These included "the right to be together with my father, the right to keep my nationality and to remain in my cultural context."
College and Political Career
In the 2010s, Elián studied to become an industrial engineer. He hoped to marry his high school girlfriend after college. In July 2016, he earned his engineering degree from the University of Matanzas. He read a letter to Fidel Castro from his graduating class. They promised "to fight from whatever place the revolution demands." After graduating in 2016, Elián started working as a technology specialist. He works at a state-run company that makes large plastic water tanks. On Father's Day in 2020, Elián announced that he and his fiancée were expecting a daughter.
In 2013, Elián led the Cuban group to a big youth festival in Quito, Ecuador. In an interview, he blamed his mother's death on the economic problems caused by the United States embargo against Cuba. He said the embargo was responsible for Cuba's lack of development. Elián also said he was happy he did not stay in the United States. He said he would have been used by groups against the Cuban government and by American media. He also said, "I don't have any religion, but if I did my God would be Fidel Castro."
In 2015, Elián was chosen to lead his local Committees for the Defense of the Revolution. This made people think he was getting ready for a political career. In an interview that year, Elián defended socialism. He said that making the economy more open could make Cuba a poorer "colony" controlled by the United States. In another interview, he again spoke against the embargo. He said he was happy with how the custody fight ended. But he hoped for better Cuba–United States relations in the future. He said he would like to return to the United States one day "to give my love to the American people."
In 2017, a documentary about his life called Elián was released. The film first showed on April 19, 2017, at a film festival. It was shown in some theaters in May and on CNN in August 2017.
Elián González was chosen by the local assembly in Cárdenas, Cuba to run as their candidate for the National Assembly of People's Power. This was for the 2023 Cuban parliamentary election. He was elected without anyone running against him. He was sworn into office in April 2023.
See also
In Spanish: Elián González para niños
- Cuban exile
- Cuba–United States relations
- Operation Peter Pan (1960–1962)
- Parental rights
