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 |
| 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 a young child, he became famous because of a big international custody fight. This fight involved his family members and the countries of Cuba and the United States.
In November 1999, Elián's mother and her partner tried to leave Cuba by boat with other people. They wanted to reach the United States. Sadly, the boat sank during the trip. Elián's mother and most of the others drowned. Elián was found floating on an inner tube. Two fishermen rescued him and gave him to the U.S. 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 him back in Cuba. This started a long and famous custody battle. It involved his father, his Miami relatives, and officials from both the U.S. and Cuba. Elián was returned to his father 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. He worked as an industrial engineer. In 2023, he was chosen to be a member of the National Assembly of People's Power. He represents his hometown, Cárdenas, Cuba.
Contents
Elián's Early Life
Elián González was born on December 6, 1993. His parents had divorced in 1991. They separated for good in 1996. But both parents stayed close with their son. They shared custody of Elián. He spent most nights with his father or grandmothers. The rest of the time he was with his mother.
The Journey to Florida
On November 21, 1999, Elián, his mother Elizabeth Brotons Rodríguez, and twelve others left Cuba. They were on a small aluminum boat. The boat's engine was not working well. 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 found him and gave him to the United States Coast Guard. Two other people from the boat survived and reached Florida separately.
Elián's cousin, Marisleysis, said Elián told her the boat's motor broke. They tried to remove water with bags, but a storm made it impossible. Elián said his mother's boyfriend put him in an inner tube. He fell asleep and when he woke up, his mother was gone. He thought she drowned because she couldn't swim.
Nivaldo Fernández Ferrán, one of the three survivors, said Elizabeth protected her son. They started their trip early in the morning. They had inner tubes in case they needed them. The boat's engine failed in bad weather. The boat began to fill with water. After it sank, passengers held onto the inner tubes in cold water. 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. He told him that Elián and his mother had left Cuba without his knowledge. He asked Lázaro to watch for their arrival.
The Custody Battle in the U.S.
The U.S. had a law called the Cuban Adjustment Act from 1966. This law offered political asylum to Cubans who fled their country. Under this law, Cuban refugees without visas could stay in the U.S. After a year, they could apply to become permanent residents. The U.S. also gave out 20,000 lottery visas each year. This was part of the wet foot, dry foot policy. If Cubans reached the mainland, they could stay. If they were stopped at sea, they were sent back to Cuba.
Lázaro González and local Cuban Americans believed Elián should stay in the United States. Marisleysis González, Lázaro's daughter, became Elián's caregiver. She also spoke for the Miami relatives. At the same time, Juan Miguel, with Cuba's support, demanded his son's return.
In January 2000, Elián's grandmothers, Mariela Quintana and Raquel Rodríguez, flew from Cuba to the U.S. They wanted their grandson back. They met Elián once. They also met with lawmakers and Attorney General Janet Reno. After nine days, they returned to Cuba as heroes.
On January 28, Spain's foreign minister said Elián should return to Cuba. He stated that international law supported this. The Miami family denied offering Juan Miguel a house and car if he stayed. Juan Miguel did not want to move to the U.S.
Juan Miguel sent many open letters to the U.S. government. These letters were published in Cuban newspapers. He kept asking for his son's return. He refused the Miami relatives' demands.
A lawyer for fathers' rights, Jeffery M. Leving, helped with the legal case. He worked to reunite Elián with his father in Cuba.
On March 21, a judge dismissed the Miami relatives' request for asylum for Elián. Lázaro said he would appeal this decision. On March 29, the mayor of Miami-Dade County said the city would not help federal officials take the boy.
On April 14, a video was released. In it, Elián seemed to say he wanted to stay in the U.S. But many thought he was told what to say. A man's voice was heard guiding him. Later, in 2005, Elián said in an interview that his Miami family told him "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 did want to go back.
Elián stayed in the news. He visited Walt Disney World Resort and met politicians. Most Americans believed Elián should go back to his father in Cuba. They thought it was best for the boy.
Attorney General Janet Reno ordered Elián's return to his father. She set a deadline of April 13, 2000. But the Miami relatives did not follow the order. Talks continued for several days. Protesters and police surrounded the house. The relatives wanted to keep Elián for months and ensure he wouldn't go back to Cuba. Reno said the relatives rejected all good solutions.
On April 19, a court ruled that Elián must stay in the U.S. This was until his Miami family could appeal for an asylum hearing in May.
Earlier, on January 10, 2000, a Florida court said it could decide on temporary custody. But Attorney General Janet Reno said federal courts were in charge. She said the Miami relatives must appeal to the federal court. Reno wanted to give the relatives a chance to provide "any information" that was "relevant." She repeated that the INS commissioner said the father spoke for the son. And the father wanted his son returned.
The judge's order allowed Elián to return to his father. On April 19, Reno accepted a last offer for talks. This was between Elián's relatives and university leaders. But a day later, Reno decided to remove Elián from the house if talks failed. She told police to find the best time to get the boy. They chose Saturday, April 22, or Monday, April 24. This was to avoid Good Friday or Easter. President Bill Clinton told Reno to keep talking. But he approved the raid if talks failed.
The Miami relatives and their lawyer agreed to let Juan Miguel have temporary custody. This was while talks happened in a safe house. But Juan Miguel and his lawyer rejected this. They demanded the boy be brought to Washington, D.C.. They announced their decision early on April 22, hours before the raid. Reno then called Lázaro González at 2:00 am. She asked him to hand Elián over to the United States Marshals Service. She promised to fly to Miami to talk. But the family refused. They feared the government would take Elián from Miami. They worried Cuban diplomats might take him. Fifteen minutes later, President Clinton told Reno she could have more time to talk. But 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. Marisleysis warned an officer that people might get hurt if agents tried to enter.
Elián's Seizure and Public Reaction
Early on Saturday, April 22, federal agents went to the house. They knocked and identified themselves. When no one answered, they went inside. Outside, pepper-spray was used against people trying to stop them. During the confusion, Armando Gutierrez called a photographer, Alan Diaz. Diaz entered a room with Elián, his great-uncle's wife, her niece, her young son, and Donato Dalrymple (one of Elián's rescuers). They waited while agents searched the house. Diaz took a famous photo of an agent facing Dalrymple and Elián. The INS then flew Elián out of Miami.
The INS also said they found many people ready to stop the operation. Some had hidden weapons. Others had criminal records.
About 100 people protested the raid. Some called the agents "assassins." New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani called the agents "storm troopers." The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association was very upset. They asked Giuliani to apologize. Hillary Clinton also asked for an apology. Giuliani refused to apologize. He said his criticism was for President Clinton and Attorney General Reno. He later left the race for other reasons.
People had very different opinions about the raid. Media focused on two things: the raid and the family reunions. Time magazine showed a photo of a happy Elián with his father. Newsweek focused on the raid.
A TV movie was made in 2000 about the struggle. It was called A Family In Crisis: The Elian Gonzales Story.
Return to Father's Care
Four hours after being taken from the Miami house, Elián and his father met at Andrews Air Force Base. The next day, the White House released a photo of a smiling Elián with his father. The Miami relatives said it was not Elián in the photo. Later, Elián and his family went to the Aspen Institute Wye River Conference Center in Maryland. The media was not allowed to see the family.
While the family was at Andrews, the Miami relatives flew to Washington. They demanded to see Elián. Guards turned them away from the base. On May 5, 2000, a newspaper reported that Elián's classmates and teacher from Cuba joined him. A Cuban newspaper showed pictures of Elián in his youth uniform. On May 6, Elián and his father went to a dinner in Washington, D.C.
After Elián was with his father, he stayed in the U.S. The Miami relatives tried all their legal options. A court had ruled he could not go back to Cuba until he had an asylum hearing. But the case was about whether the relatives could ask for that hearing for him. On June 1, 2000, a court ruled that Elián was too young to ask for asylum. Only his father could speak for him. The relatives did not have the legal right to ask. On June 28, 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to review the case. That afternoon, seven months and one week after Elián left Cuba, he and his family, classmates, and teacher boarded two planes. They flew from Dulles International Airport to José Martí International Airport in Havana.
Political Impact of the Case
Many people believe the Elián González case affected the 2000 United States presidential election. This election was very close. The raid made Cuban-Americans in Florida strongly support the Republican candidate, George W. Bush. Polls showed that Bush received a lot of votes from Cuban-Americans in Florida. The Democratic candidate, Al Gore, was criticized for his changing views on the case.
In Cuba, the Elián González case led to many public gatherings. People across the island wanted Elián to return. Fidel Castro started a campaign called the "Battle of Ideas." This campaign focused on education to promote socialist ideas.
Life in Cuba
Youth and Schooling
After returning to Cuba, Elián González lived with his father, stepmother, and three brothers in Cárdenas. His father, Juan Miguel, worked as a waiter. In 2004, a TV report showed Elián doing homework with his father. It also showed him going to bed with his half-brothers and taking karate lessons.
The TV report also showed an old building in Cárdenas. It used to be a fire station. In 2001, it became a museum called Museo de la Batalla de Ideas. It has a room for Elián. There is a life-size bronze statue of him raising his fist. The old González home in Miami also became a museum. Elián's bedroom there was left untouched. 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 met Fidel Castro on stage.
In September 2005, Elián was interviewed. He said Fidel Castro was a friend. He even called Castro "not only as a friend but as a father." Elián's aunt, Angela González, doubted if this was his true belief. She thought Cuba might control what he said. In December 2006, Fidel Castro was sick. So his brother Raúl went to Elián's 13th birthday party instead.
In June 2008, Elián joined the Young Communist Union of Cuba. This was after he finished junior high school. At age 15, he started military school. In a speech in 2013, Elián said his time in the United States was "very sad." He said the Cuban Adjustment Act took away his rights. These included the right to be with his father and to keep his nationality.
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 degree from the University of Matanzas. He read a letter to Fidel Castro from his graduating class. They promised to fight for the revolution. After graduating, Elián worked as a technology specialist. He worked at a state-run company that makes large plastic water tanks. In 2020, Elián announced he and his fiancée were expecting a daughter.
In 2013, Elián led the Cuban group to a youth festival in Quito, Ecuador. In an interview, he blamed his mother's death on the United States embargo against Cuba. He said the embargo caused Cuba's economic problems. Elián also said he was happy he did not stay in the United States. He felt he would have been used by those against Cuba. He said, "I don't have a 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 preparing for a political career. In an interview, he supported socialism. He said that economic changes could make Cuba a poorer "colony" of the U.S. In another interview, he again spoke against the embargo. He was happy with the custody outcome. But he hoped for better Cuba–United States relations in the future. He said he would like to visit 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 later shown on CNN Films.
Elián was chosen by his local assembly in Cárdenas. He ran as a candidate for the National Assembly of People's Power in the 2023 election. He was elected without opposition. He took 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
- Yossele Schumacher affair, a similar occurrence
- Polovchak v. Meese, an earlier child asylum case (1980–1985), viewed by some as a precedent
