October 16, 2024 • 38 mins
Throughout the ordeal, Elián's father always insisted he wanted the boy to return to Cuba. But many Cuban Americans speculated that Juan Miguel wasn't operating under free will — but rather under threat, and in the shadow of Fidel Castro.
As the Miami family refused to hand Elián over to his father, tensions boiled over and negotiations began. The Attorney General, lawyers and other negotiators tried to bring the two sides together. As Elián started to disappear from the public eye, authorities became increasingly worried about the boy's safety and well-being.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
In mid January two thousand, Alien's father, Emiel, gave an
interview to ABC's Nightline. It had been nearly two months
since he had been separated from Elian.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
It has been suggested in some quarters, and I'm going
to give you the opportunity to respond that the reason
you do not come to Miami is because the Cuban
government is afraid that once you get to Miami you
will defect. How do you respond to that?
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Chris Wallace interviewed him with a life translator. Ask Emiel
answered his questions.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Who said that?
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Who said that? I think I have been extremely clear
clear people think, or some people think that I am
under pressure and sometimes what I would like to do
is go down there with a rifle. I don't know
to get rid of How many people.
Speaker 5 (01:05):
Are you serious about that, sir?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
That's obviously a very inflammatory remark.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
And what about isn't it inflammatory what they are doing
with my son?
Speaker 1 (01:18):
This moment was raw and revealed Juamiel's rage at being
kept from his son, But in the interview Chris Wallace
was hinting at something else that Framielle was being pressured
by the Cuban government to bring Ellang back to Cuba
to not affect to Miami that Framielle did not really
(01:40):
mean the things he was saying. This is Kennoc Coffee,
one of the attorneys for Alian's Miami relatives.
Speaker 6 (01:48):
If you are living in Cuba, you're living in a
totalitarian regime where your movements are watched, your actions are controlled,
and you simply are not at liberty to advocate for
your child's life and a democratic society.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
But Miuel had been a Philista rogastro for a long time.
He was part of the Cuban Communist Party, and he
used this connection after Elian was taken in by his
Miami relatives to knock on all the right doors until
he got a meeting with Fidel Castro himself to ask
for the government's help to get Elan back. He would
(02:30):
later say in an interview with Cuban Press that Castro
told him in their first meeting he could leave Cuba
if he wanted.
Speaker 7 (02:44):
So la.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Miami, and he told Castro no, he wanted to be
reunited with Elean in Cuba. Before that, the Miami family
had been hopeful. They thought this could be a chance
(03:12):
for their family to reunite in the United States. In
front of news cameras. The Miami family said Jamiel had
told them something different than what he told Del Castro.
Speaker 8 (03:24):
My uncle called Jamiel to let him know his son
was okay and that we were taking care of him,
and his answer was, quote, take care of him until
I can go, meaning going to the United States.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
After the Nightline interview aired, Jamiel's uncle, Lascero responded, saying
something the family had said from the beginning. We will
give your song to you once you come to the
United States, you know, deary, And he continued, I'm only
(04:00):
taking care of the boy and giving him the best
I can because my family in Cuba asked me to
care for him.
Speaker 9 (04:07):
Also, Ramo Mdia, Yeah, my familia, miss Angry.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Here's my family, my blood, Lacearo said in a matter
of fact tone. But as time passed, when Miel started
using a different term than caring for Alian, one that
echo Fidel Castro saying the Miami relatives had actually kidnapped Elian,
(04:45):
my familiar. Pamiel said, the Miami family stopped letting him
speak with Elian, so they disputed that Alien's Iami relatives
and other Cuban Americans believed Castro cast a shadow over
Juamiel casting a shadow on a sombra?
Speaker 10 (05:09):
Did that?
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Sora and Penny later meres and this is Chess Peace.
The Lian Gonzalez Story a production of Futura Studios in
partnership with Iheartsmichael Turda podcast network. After Ellen was found
(05:50):
at sea, many were watching je Miel, analyzing him, seeing
if it sounded like a real father, wondering did he
really want to stay in Cuba or not?
Speaker 11 (06:03):
If he really wanted to come to the United States.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
I think the Cuban government would have done everything they
could discourage him from going.
Speaker 11 (06:10):
There were questions about whether the father of Elian was
truly free, but how can we second guess his own
views and love for soon?
Speaker 12 (06:21):
The wan Miguel I interviewed was extremely stressed. You could
see the pressure, the anxiety, the fear. I don't really
think his life was his own. After Ellen became the
biggest headline.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
When it comes to Cuba, the question is always about freedom.
If you have free will, I wanted to find out
for myself. I wanted to ask Emiel and Elean what
they truly wanted, But to do so I would have
to return to Cuba for the first time in a decade,
(07:00):
the first time ever as a journalist.
Speaker 10 (07:02):
I was nervous and excited.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
We submitted our project to the Cuban government Press office,
and I applied for a journalist visa to enter the
country where I was born. In Cuba, the government controls
the media, and organizations like Reporters Without Borders have documented
arbitrary detentions, harassment, illegal rates against Cuban journalists living on
(07:30):
the island whose coverers doesn't align with the Cuban Communist Party.
FOREI in journalists are accredited selectively, those whose work is
considered too negative or critical are expelled. So, according to
Reporters Without Borders quote, Cuba remains the worst country for
(07:52):
press freedom in Latin America. After submitting the project, Cuba's
office in New York asked us for a meeting to
get a better idea about our work and the project.
Speaker 13 (08:07):
I'm working from Grand Central Station.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Cheer let me see on that, senior producer Nicole Rothwell.
This past summer, we met up in midtown Manhattan on
a hot and humid day.
Speaker 14 (08:22):
So basically we are going to be here because even
before asking Eliam for an interview, we need to ask
a government for her mission, which is very Talian about
Cuba and how Cuba works.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
When you walk into the office, you are met with
giant black and white portraits of.
Speaker 10 (08:40):
Idel Castro on the walls.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
We were invited into a meeting room with comfy couches
and shares. The Cuban government official we spoke with offered
us a cafecito and.
Speaker 10 (08:52):
We gave our pitch, shared who we were.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
And that we believed to tell the liand story, we
needed to speak with Cuban's in Cuba, and they seem
to agree. So we waited and we started trying to.
Speaker 10 (09:06):
Reach sources in Cuba.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
That's when we got some exciting news from a fixer
in Cuba that Elian and his father Juamiel were open
to an interview with us. All we needed now was
our visa approval, so we kept waiting. Back to two thousand,
(09:36):
a week after Juan Miel's Nightline interview, an announcement was
made that captivated the world.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
Today, the two grandmothers of Ilian Gonzalez flew from Havana
to New York with a delegation from the National Council
of Churches to say, without a moment's hesitation that they
want to take Ilian home.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Just after landing in New York, the grandmothers gave a
press conference. Traquel Rodriguez, the mother of Elizabeth, Alien's mom,
spoke first through a translator.
Speaker 11 (10:21):
Is the.
Speaker 15 (10:24):
La mam liang.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
Many people say that was the will of the mother.
Speaker 16 (10:29):
Denoido avlo, that the son will stay here. Lang I
talked for her because her very much. Okay sarva, I
know how she thinks and how they behave Yeah, zebasoue
(10:53):
okay then unga posso ramulento ilam and Asara.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
The grandma alleged that her daughter only came to the
US because her partner, Rafa, was violent and coerced her
to get on the boat. Alien's grandma pleaded to be
able to take him back with them to Cuba so
her daughter could rest in peace.
Speaker 16 (11:16):
Eole pidouelo alo.
Speaker 17 (11:22):
Interested and.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
You want to help us all about for kil Nino.
Speaker 16 (11:32):
Aluela paga wela Let's concerin boss.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Elizabeth's mom told reporters this more than once, and even
before her daughter's tragic death, she had express worry about
the relationship. However, some of Elizabeth's friends and one of
Raffa's former girlfriends denied that he was violent. What we
do know is there seems to be some cheam around
(12:05):
Rafa's reputation, but there is the possibility that it was
pushed as propaganda by the Cuban government. If this were true,
that Elian's mom came to the US cours by her
boyfriend and not seeking freedom, it would mean the Miami
family's entire basis for keeping Elian in the US wasn't valid.
Speaker 10 (12:26):
His mom to risk her life for him.
Speaker 9 (12:29):
To get liberty, and I hope that this country gives
us the opportunity of knowing what liberty is all about.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
In the US, the grandma's met with Congress members and
ultimately got a chance to meet with their grandson Elian,
but just over a week after they landed, they boarded
a plane back to Cuba without him. Before leaving the US,
Elian's paternal grandmother, Mariella, made a final plea to the public, saying,
(12:59):
Elian will never be happy here and.
Speaker 15 (13:03):
He will never be happy.
Speaker 8 (13:06):
Because he grew up in Cua and Cuba.
Speaker 13 (13:10):
He's a Cuban boy.
Speaker 18 (13:13):
He has a father Squadro, he has four grandpa familia,
and he has an entire family back there.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
The Grandma's returned to Cuba to a hero's welcome of
thousands of Cubans in the street. They might have been
empty handed, but it looked like a victory for the
Cuban side. Appoll after their visit had two thirds of
the US siding with them Elian should go back to his.
Speaker 10 (13:41):
Father in Cuba.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
A month after the Grandma's left the United States, the
Senate held an unusual congressional hearing on Cuba inspired by
the Elian case. As the Miami family seemed to be
losing in the courts, they hoped they could win over
the public and Congress. Mary Lacey's testified alongside Alina Fernandez,
(14:39):
Fidel Castro's own a strange daughter. There is no recording
of this hearing, but in her wading statement, Mary Lacey
insisted that ju Miguel was hiding his true feelings.
Speaker 10 (14:52):
Here is part of what she said to Congress.
Speaker 18 (14:56):
He knows that his son is in a country of
freedom or he is protected, and that is why he
can sit there and read papers with the pain of
heart say things that they're telling him to say, but
he cannot turn around and say otherwise because he knows
that his wife and his son might be in danger
(15:18):
or are in danger.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Mary Lesis is talking here about what in Cuba we
call Las somra, the shadow. It's the idea that the
authorities are monitoring your every move, the secret police, the government,
the spies, that you are always being watched, unmarked, and
if you defy those authorities, you know there will be consequences.
(15:45):
The shadow makes sure you always watch.
Speaker 19 (15:48):
What you say.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
It was not the only time Mary Lacey's assured Miel
that in Miami, in the US, he will be safe.
Speaker 8 (15:58):
I would like to follows to come and take him
up because I know he's safe and I know that
I put him in good hands.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Mary LASiS also told the Senate committee that Jua Miel
had previously told them he would do anything to make
it to the US. It was something that others had
heard too, like Al Fere Cuban American historian.
Speaker 17 (16:25):
I remember hearing, and I don't know if it's true,
if it's another chease me is that the father had
either applied to live or tried to leave himself before
the wholely young thing.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
The rumor was that Juan Miel wanted to come to
the US, and that he even applied to El Bombo,
the Bize lottery system, unique for Cubans at the time.
It was reported that the Ions had no record of
Juamiel applying, but an internal memo eventually surfaced revealing that
(16:55):
some Irons officials did believe he applied to Al Bombo,
and not only that, but that they suspected Juan Miuel
was being coerced by the Culture Region. But publicly, Jamiel
never went straight from his message that he would trace
his son in Cuba.
Speaker 20 (17:13):
The familia.
Speaker 10 (17:18):
Elian's family is in Cuba.
Speaker 14 (17:21):
He said.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
He has free health care and education here. His life
is here. The Irons interviewed Emiel two times in Cuba,
even in a so called neutral space, to make sure
he was fit as a father, and he told them
Elean was his life quote. I taught him how to swim,
(17:47):
do karate. He has a part of here, dogs, a
bicycle and all kinds of toys. When Miuel always taught
the I n S officials he wanted Elan to return
immediately to Que Dins recognized that Emuel was likely being
monitored by the Cuban government tim press, but this didn't
(18:07):
mean that his request for Elian to be returned was
not genuine.
Speaker 17 (18:12):
Let's say he wanted the boy to say. Could he
have said that, I don't think so. I think once
the Cuban government asked for the boy back, I don't
think there was any way for the father to have
said that.
Speaker 21 (18:24):
It's a very kind of Cuban problem in a sense,
right where in a place where people are expected to
say certain things, where people clap, even if they don't
mean it, it's hard to distinguish between what is stated
publicly and what is thought internally.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
A very Cuban problem, it is hard to know what
people really wanted in the alien case versus what they
said they wanted on both sides, and that includes Elian himself.
Speaker 17 (18:59):
The boys family in Miami kept saying, oh, he wants
to stay.
Speaker 8 (19:03):
I've asked him if he wanted to stay or if
he wanted to go back, and he told me he
wanted to stay.
Speaker 17 (19:10):
Even if the boy said that, can you take that
as a fact When he's a little boy who's being
given all these presents and he just lost his mother
and he's becoming attached to his cousin as a mother figure.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
A couple of weeks after our meeting with the Cuban
Mission in New York, we got news.
Speaker 10 (19:40):
He was not good news.
Speaker 22 (19:42):
Hello, Tim, I just saw the messages that or visa
was the night and looking at the email, it says,
I regret to inform you that the visa for Futuro
Media for the project about Elian Gonzalez in Cuba was
not approved. You know, no explanation, no avenue for week, consideration,
(20:08):
not anything. So it's official denied the visa to go
tomorrow country.
Speaker 10 (20:19):
I felt bad.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
It should not be like that, And then after we
asked for another meeting to make our case, the Cuban
mission agreed. We were hopeful this would mean their second chance.
So the team went back without me.
Speaker 21 (20:38):
And in Midtown Manhattan having a British javou.
Speaker 13 (20:42):
This is gonna be ten number two.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
The next day Nicole and Or executive producer Marlon Bishop called.
Speaker 7 (20:51):
Me, Okay, can you both hear each other?
Speaker 15 (20:54):
Hello?
Speaker 3 (20:55):
Hi?
Speaker 19 (20:56):
So yeah, we wanted to record a call and you
know about how it went at the Cuban mission.
Speaker 13 (21:03):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (21:05):
He kind of started off as like this speech about
like US Cuba relations and why they have to be
very careful diligent about do they approve journalist thesis for
but and he was just pretty like the rest their
concerns were.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Over up anyway, They had done some dging on us,
and the problem, it turns out, was me.
Speaker 19 (21:28):
So yeah, they left the room for a second and
he came back with a cell phone and he had
already pulled up your Twitter with the keyword of Cuba
and reading through tweets that you've made about Cuba in
the past, specifically about the protests that were happening.
Speaker 10 (21:45):
They didn't like some tweets, so they denied our visas.
Speaker 13 (21:49):
I was informant to my followers on Twitter that there
was a protest in Mexico City, mirrowing the protest in Cuba,
so basically I was doing my reporter job.
Speaker 19 (22:00):
I said the same thing. I said, I think she's just,
you know, informing people that this is going on, and
he's like, no, there's other tweets where it's you know,
it's more of a call to action. Well, I guess
this one is a little more opinionated. It says from
July twelve, twenty twenty one, just google the tennessa oil
no importancy to ninety's most to Kuba Party.
Speaker 10 (22:20):
My tweet said Cuba needs you today.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
It doesn't matter if you don't get what's going on,
or if you once admired the Custro regime dot dot
dot Today what matters is that you listen, look, speak.
I wrote a series of tweets calling for attention to
the massive protests of July twenty twenty one, when, for
the first time in decades, thousands of Cubans came out
(22:44):
to the streets to protest against the Jewan government, protesting
in a dictatorship at the high risk of spending.
Speaker 10 (22:54):
Years in Yale. It's a big deal. Yes.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
In this particular tweet, I share my opinion. It came
from a reflection I had from when I was younger
and less critical of the Cuban government. Back then, I
felt that the intentions of the Cuban government were good,
but it was just that our circumstances as a country
were difficult.
Speaker 10 (23:17):
And I know I'm not alone.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
A lot of people in the world have been moved
by this idea that Cuba is standing up to the
US like David versus Goliath. I was hoping to appeal
to those people outside of the island who once believed
in Castro's revolution. I wanted them to listen to what
actual Cubans on the island were saying. Even now, I
(23:49):
don't regret writing that tweet. As a journalist, I'm always
very careful with getting involved with my stories, but I'm
also a human and I felt like remaining side I
lent in front of those protests was wrong. So when
we got the rejection, I was not surprised, but I.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Was hard.
Speaker 13 (24:16):
So basically because I tweeted those things, we are prevented
from interviewing Alien. That's why he said, Like officially he didn't.
Speaker 19 (24:24):
In those words like you can't interview Alien, as he said,
you know, I think we're going to have to take
a pause, but it was clear that he meant that
this project, you know, wasn't going to be able to
go forward, that we need to build trust as an
organization with Cuba.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
One of the reasons I have spent most of my
career reporting about corruption and injustices in Mexico is because
I have been prevented from reporting about my own country.
I believe that journalism makes a country better, or at
least more aware of its problems and failures. It's not
the work of journalists to be a mouth peace for
any government.
Speaker 13 (25:02):
I know my people, you know, I know how they work.
But at the same time, it is part of the story.
This is part of why we have been saying that.
Speaker 15 (25:10):
This is the story that goes beyond a Yan and
goes into what was Fiva twenty five years ago and
what is Stula today. So twenty five years ago, my
father was prevented to.
Speaker 13 (25:21):
Be with me, and now I'm prevented.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
To go to my own country.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Four months after Elean was found at sea, the Miami
family would get their wish, the possibility of a family reunification.
Juan Miguel Gonzalez is ready at a moment's notice to
come to the United States to be reunited with his son.
This is Gregory Craig, Quamiel's attorney, who had also represented
(25:57):
President Bill Clinton when he faced Impishma and greg traveled
to Cuba and met with Viel Castro, who signed off
on him representing Famiel, and some assumed Castro was footing
the bill, but what was reported at the time was
that Amielle's attorney was paid for by a church group's donations.
(26:19):
After the visit, greg announced Jamiel would be coming to
the United States.
Speaker 18 (26:24):
He has been ready, willing, and waiting for too many weeks,
too many months.
Speaker 10 (26:30):
But with a condition.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
He needs only to be told that when he.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Comes here, he.
Speaker 11 (26:36):
Will in fact be given custody of his son.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
A condition that the Miami family had promised.
Speaker 10 (26:43):
To deliver on.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
In the early hours of April sixth, two thousand, Fidel
Castro personally saw off Jamiel when he left for the US.
His wife and their son, who was six months old,
traveled with him. Their family kissed them goodbye on the
tarmac before the sun even rose. This means a lot
to me. April sixth is my birthday. I was turning
(27:28):
thirteen that year, becoming a teenager. So while Famiel was
on his way to be reunited with his son with
Castro's blessing and support, I was still away from my dad,
separated by the US Cuba policies. Fidel spoke to the
press as the plane left. He said he had faith
(27:49):
it would all work out.
Speaker 5 (28:13):
Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome one Michuel Gonzales
to the United States America.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Immediately after landing in the United States, Joamiguel gave a
press conference on the tarmac alongside his lawyer, his wife
and newborn.
Speaker 10 (28:29):
It was not just the media there.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Some of the Cuban exile community were there to welcome
him with scigns like the maniola liberta.
Speaker 18 (28:45):
Sombra.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Someone in the crowd yells out, you're free here. Here
is no fear sombra. There is no shadow here. Remember
in Cuban and Spanish, it means there is no Cuban authorities,
no Fidel Castro, no one monitoring you, casting a shadow
over you. It is painful to watch this video. Umiel
(29:12):
looks defeated. He's reading a statement, stumbling over his words.
Speaker 20 (29:20):
Come on stm for me, I thought as sicological and
fluid and Supersionally, my.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Son has been subjected to cruel psychological pressures to influence
his personality, he said.
Speaker 20 (29:36):
Ellen I told into a c V in the meetings
in Majo communication to col interest, the saga provit of
political alma.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
And on top of everything, he added, Elian has been
exhibited in parades, meetings and in the media, all to
use his.
Speaker 10 (29:55):
Strategedy for political gain.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
From the video, you can tell that toll this saga
has taken on Juan Miguel. He looks tired, his best
friend in Cuba. Toll reporters at the time that Jamielle's
hair was falling out and he was suffering from stomach issues.
The next day, Juamiel met privately with the Attorney General,
(30:25):
Janet Reno.
Speaker 10 (30:26):
Afterwards, she spoke to the press.
Speaker 23 (30:29):
I wholeheartedly reject Cuba's system of government. Mister Gonzales and
I do not share the same political beliefs, but it
is not our place to punish a father for his
political beliefs or where he wants to raise his child. Indeed,
if we were to start judging parents on the basis
(30:49):
of their political beliefs, we would change the concept of
family for the rest of time.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Even when in the US, without Castro looking over his shoulder,
Emiel refused asylum again, saying his life and family were
in Cuba.
Speaker 10 (31:08):
An Eilean Wood grew up on the island Cuban.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
He wanted to go home. Not everybody wants to live
in the United States. Mister Gonzalez wanted to go home,
and he wanted to take a six year old son
with This is.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Jim Goldman, a special agent with the I Ins who
you met earlier in the series. Reno encouraged Juan Miel
to meet with the Miami family and hash things out,
but he told her it was too late. There was
so much anger and pain on all sides. The relatives
in Miami had promised that Jamiel only had to come
(31:47):
to the US and they would give a lean back.
But now even with Jamielle here, they still refused to
hand him over the government. So things were escalating.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Every day thing to start worse and worse, and worship
got darker and deeper.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
Eventually, the Attorney General and AS Commissioner flew to Miami
and met with the family there four hours in an
effort to reach an agreement.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
His relatives did not want him to go home. Call
it what you want. Was he being held against as
will I don't know. Was he endangered? I don't know.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
On April twelfth, almost a week after Camille had landed
in the US, the Ions instructed Lasarro Gonzalez remember the
Great Uncle, to bring Elean to the Opa Loka Airport
in Miami at two pm the next day, but he
never showed. This is when the government revoked the Miami
family's temporary care of Ilian. Remember, dian Areno was the
(32:50):
legal custodian for Elian in the US, and after he
was rescued, she gave the Miami family temporary care of him.
Speaker 23 (32:58):
It has been nearly twelve weeks since the Commissioner's decision,
four months since Elian was found at sea. It is
time for this little boy, who has been through so
much to be with his father. The relatives say it
would be wrenching to him to take him from the home,
(33:20):
but four months is no substitute for six years for
a father who had such an important role in raising
such a wonderful little boy.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
The day that Lasar was supposed to bring Elian to
the airport, a home video aired on Univision and soon
spread across the news.
Speaker 14 (33:42):
Ba Jnai Erica.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Eleann is sitting on a bed, presumably in the Miami
family home, and someone is recording a home video of
him saying, Bapa, I don't want to go to Cuba
and you should stay here.
Speaker 10 (34:01):
I'm not going to Cuba here.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
After this line, he looks away towards someone of camera,
and then the video cuts and edit before he picks up.
Speaker 10 (34:13):
Again, sahah here you stay to return with.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
Our Many who took the father's side felt that Eleano
was coached in this video that he as a child,
was being manipulated by the adults around him to say it.
He wanted to remain in the United States, but perhaps
(34:43):
what the Miami family had been worried about, that he
would not have free willing Cuba was actually his reality
here in the United States with them. On the same
day the video aired, the Florida Family Court reversed his
previous ruling and dismissed laceroscostoly request. The odds were stacking
(35:03):
up against the Gonzalezes of Miami, and yet they would
not watch.
Speaker 23 (35:09):
Instead of discussing how Ilion should be reunited, the attorneys
for the relatives continued to demand that we revisit the
issue of whether Alion should be reunited. That is not
what the law provides.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
As negotiations stalled, Emiel was in d C without his son.
One day, the frustration got to him as he grabbed
some air outside the Qban interessection in d C. Protesters
yelled to him that he could stay in the US
with a lian.
Speaker 9 (35:46):
Yes, that's yes, not I thing a waniyay? Why how'd
I leaving a maday?
Speaker 1 (35:55):
And he responded raising his middle finger. A brief hit
of his more brazen self, and also likely a breaking
point for him, because then Elian, who had been in
the spotlight twenty four seven, started disappearing from the public view.
Speaker 3 (36:13):
If my son hadn't been seen for five days, I'd
be concerned, and I know mister Gonzales would have been
concerned too.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
Elian's grandmother's visit didn't bring him home to Cuba. His
own father coming to the United States didn't bring the
Gonzaleses together. The government now believed that only one thing
could resolve the standoff at this point, an intervention by
force if necessary.
Speaker 10 (36:43):
That's next week. Chess Piece.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
The Elian Gonzales Story is a production of Tudo Studios
in partnership with Iheartsmichael Tura podcast Network. This show is
written and reported by me Pennilei Ramdez with Maria Garcia,
Nicole Rothwell, and Tasha Sandowa. Our editor is Maria Garcia,
additional editing by Marlon Bishop.
Speaker 10 (37:16):
Our senior producer is Nicole Rodwell.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Our associate producers are Tasha Sandoval and Elisabeth Loental Torns.
Sound designed by Jacob Rosati with help from Stephani Levo,
and our intern is Evelin Fajardo Albarez. Our senior production
manager is Jessica Elis, with production supports from Nancy Trujillo,
Francis Poon and Lolimar Marquez. Also thank you Lodi mar
(37:43):
for voicing Marie Lesy Gonzalez for a quote.
Speaker 10 (37:45):
That you heard in this episode.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
Mixing by Stephani Levo, Julia Caruso and j J.
Speaker 10 (37:51):
Corubin.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
Fat checking by Media Bautista, Scoring and musical creation by
Jacob Rosati and Stephanie Levo and credits music from Los
Aceros Or. Executive producers are Marlon Bishop and Maria Garcia.
Legal review by Neil Rossini. Hutua Media was founded by
Maria Novosa. For more podcasts, listen to the iHeartRadio app,
(38:17):
Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
An Penileia Mirez See you in the next episode Novenes
and episode Yeah
In mid January two thousand, Alien's father, Emiel, gave an
interview to ABC's Nightline. It had been nearly two months
since he had been separated from Elian.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
It has been suggested in some quarters, and I'm going
to give you the opportunity to respond that the reason
you do not come to Miami is because the Cuban
government is afraid that once you get to Miami you
will defect. How do you respond to that?
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Chris Wallace interviewed him with a life translator. Ask Emiel
answered his questions.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Who said that?
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Who said that? I think I have been extremely clear
clear people think, or some people think that I am
under pressure and sometimes what I would like to do
is go down there with a rifle. I don't know
to get rid of How many people.
Speaker 5 (01:05):
Are you serious about that, sir?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
That's obviously a very inflammatory remark.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
And what about isn't it inflammatory what they are doing
with my son?
Speaker 1 (01:18):
This moment was raw and revealed Juamiel's rage at being
kept from his son, But in the interview Chris Wallace
was hinting at something else that Framielle was being pressured
by the Cuban government to bring Ellang back to Cuba
to not affect to Miami that Framielle did not really
(01:40):
mean the things he was saying. This is Kennoc Coffee,
one of the attorneys for Alian's Miami relatives.
Speaker 6 (01:48):
If you are living in Cuba, you're living in a
totalitarian regime where your movements are watched, your actions are controlled,
and you simply are not at liberty to advocate for
your child's life and a democratic society.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
But Miuel had been a Philista rogastro for a long time.
He was part of the Cuban Communist Party, and he
used this connection after Elian was taken in by his
Miami relatives to knock on all the right doors until
he got a meeting with Fidel Castro himself to ask
for the government's help to get Elan back. He would
(02:30):
later say in an interview with Cuban Press that Castro
told him in their first meeting he could leave Cuba
if he wanted.
Speaker 7 (02:44):
So la.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Miami, and he told Castro no, he wanted to be
reunited with Elean in Cuba. Before that, the Miami family
had been hopeful. They thought this could be a chance
(03:12):
for their family to reunite in the United States. In
front of news cameras. The Miami family said Jamiel had
told them something different than what he told Del Castro.
Speaker 8 (03:24):
My uncle called Jamiel to let him know his son
was okay and that we were taking care of him,
and his answer was, quote, take care of him until
I can go, meaning going to the United States.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
After the Nightline interview aired, Jamiel's uncle, Lascero responded, saying
something the family had said from the beginning. We will
give your song to you once you come to the
United States, you know, deary, And he continued, I'm only
(04:00):
taking care of the boy and giving him the best
I can because my family in Cuba asked me to
care for him.
Speaker 9 (04:07):
Also, Ramo Mdia, Yeah, my familia, miss Angry.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Here's my family, my blood, Lacearo said in a matter
of fact tone. But as time passed, when Miel started
using a different term than caring for Alian, one that
echo Fidel Castro saying the Miami relatives had actually kidnapped Elian,
(04:45):
my familiar. Pamiel said, the Miami family stopped letting him
speak with Elian, so they disputed that Alien's Iami relatives
and other Cuban Americans believed Castro cast a shadow over
Juamiel casting a shadow on a sombra?
Speaker 10 (05:09):
Did that?
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Sora and Penny later meres and this is Chess Peace.
The Lian Gonzalez Story a production of Futura Studios in
partnership with Iheartsmichael Turda podcast network. After Ellen was found
(05:50):
at sea, many were watching je Miel, analyzing him, seeing
if it sounded like a real father, wondering did he
really want to stay in Cuba or not?
Speaker 11 (06:03):
If he really wanted to come to the United States.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
I think the Cuban government would have done everything they
could discourage him from going.
Speaker 11 (06:10):
There were questions about whether the father of Elian was
truly free, but how can we second guess his own
views and love for soon?
Speaker 12 (06:21):
The wan Miguel I interviewed was extremely stressed. You could
see the pressure, the anxiety, the fear. I don't really
think his life was his own. After Ellen became the
biggest headline.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
When it comes to Cuba, the question is always about freedom.
If you have free will, I wanted to find out
for myself. I wanted to ask Emiel and Elean what
they truly wanted, But to do so I would have
to return to Cuba for the first time in a decade,
(07:00):
the first time ever as a journalist.
Speaker 10 (07:02):
I was nervous and excited.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
We submitted our project to the Cuban government Press office,
and I applied for a journalist visa to enter the
country where I was born. In Cuba, the government controls
the media, and organizations like Reporters Without Borders have documented
arbitrary detentions, harassment, illegal rates against Cuban journalists living on
(07:30):
the island whose coverers doesn't align with the Cuban Communist Party.
FOREI in journalists are accredited selectively, those whose work is
considered too negative or critical are expelled. So, according to
Reporters Without Borders quote, Cuba remains the worst country for
(07:52):
press freedom in Latin America. After submitting the project, Cuba's
office in New York asked us for a meeting to
get a better idea about our work and the project.
Speaker 13 (08:07):
I'm working from Grand Central Station.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Cheer let me see on that, senior producer Nicole Rothwell.
This past summer, we met up in midtown Manhattan on
a hot and humid day.
Speaker 14 (08:22):
So basically we are going to be here because even
before asking Eliam for an interview, we need to ask
a government for her mission, which is very Talian about
Cuba and how Cuba works.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
When you walk into the office, you are met with
giant black and white portraits of.
Speaker 10 (08:40):
Idel Castro on the walls.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
We were invited into a meeting room with comfy couches
and shares. The Cuban government official we spoke with offered
us a cafecito and.
Speaker 10 (08:52):
We gave our pitch, shared who we were.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
And that we believed to tell the liand story, we
needed to speak with Cuban's in Cuba, and they seem
to agree. So we waited and we started trying to.
Speaker 10 (09:06):
Reach sources in Cuba.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
That's when we got some exciting news from a fixer
in Cuba that Elian and his father Juamiel were open
to an interview with us. All we needed now was
our visa approval, so we kept waiting. Back to two thousand,
(09:36):
a week after Juan Miel's Nightline interview, an announcement was
made that captivated the world.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
Today, the two grandmothers of Ilian Gonzalez flew from Havana
to New York with a delegation from the National Council
of Churches to say, without a moment's hesitation that they
want to take Ilian home.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Just after landing in New York, the grandmothers gave a
press conference. Traquel Rodriguez, the mother of Elizabeth, Alien's mom,
spoke first through a translator.
Speaker 11 (10:21):
Is the.
Speaker 15 (10:24):
La mam liang.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
Many people say that was the will of the mother.
Speaker 16 (10:29):
Denoido avlo, that the son will stay here. Lang I
talked for her because her very much. Okay sarva, I
know how she thinks and how they behave Yeah, zebasoue
(10:53):
okay then unga posso ramulento ilam and Asara.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
The grandma alleged that her daughter only came to the
US because her partner, Rafa, was violent and coerced her
to get on the boat. Alien's grandma pleaded to be
able to take him back with them to Cuba so
her daughter could rest in peace.
Speaker 16 (11:16):
Eole pidouelo alo.
Speaker 17 (11:22):
Interested and.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
You want to help us all about for kil Nino.
Speaker 16 (11:32):
Aluela paga wela Let's concerin boss.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Elizabeth's mom told reporters this more than once, and even
before her daughter's tragic death, she had express worry about
the relationship. However, some of Elizabeth's friends and one of
Raffa's former girlfriends denied that he was violent. What we
do know is there seems to be some cheam around
(12:05):
Rafa's reputation, but there is the possibility that it was
pushed as propaganda by the Cuban government. If this were true,
that Elian's mom came to the US cours by her
boyfriend and not seeking freedom, it would mean the Miami
family's entire basis for keeping Elian in the US wasn't valid.
Speaker 10 (12:26):
His mom to risk her life for him.
Speaker 9 (12:29):
To get liberty, and I hope that this country gives
us the opportunity of knowing what liberty is all about.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
In the US, the grandma's met with Congress members and
ultimately got a chance to meet with their grandson Elian,
but just over a week after they landed, they boarded
a plane back to Cuba without him. Before leaving the US,
Elian's paternal grandmother, Mariella, made a final plea to the public, saying,
(12:59):
Elian will never be happy here and.
Speaker 15 (13:03):
He will never be happy.
Speaker 8 (13:06):
Because he grew up in Cua and Cuba.
Speaker 13 (13:10):
He's a Cuban boy.
Speaker 18 (13:13):
He has a father Squadro, he has four grandpa familia,
and he has an entire family back there.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
The Grandma's returned to Cuba to a hero's welcome of
thousands of Cubans in the street. They might have been
empty handed, but it looked like a victory for the
Cuban side. Appoll after their visit had two thirds of
the US siding with them Elian should go back to his.
Speaker 10 (13:41):
Father in Cuba.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
A month after the Grandma's left the United States, the
Senate held an unusual congressional hearing on Cuba inspired by
the Elian case. As the Miami family seemed to be
losing in the courts, they hoped they could win over
the public and Congress. Mary Lacey's testified alongside Alina Fernandez,
(14:39):
Fidel Castro's own a strange daughter. There is no recording
of this hearing, but in her wading statement, Mary Lacey
insisted that ju Miguel was hiding his true feelings.
Speaker 10 (14:52):
Here is part of what she said to Congress.
Speaker 18 (14:56):
He knows that his son is in a country of
freedom or he is protected, and that is why he
can sit there and read papers with the pain of
heart say things that they're telling him to say, but
he cannot turn around and say otherwise because he knows
that his wife and his son might be in danger
(15:18):
or are in danger.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Mary Lesis is talking here about what in Cuba we
call Las somra, the shadow. It's the idea that the
authorities are monitoring your every move, the secret police, the government,
the spies, that you are always being watched, unmarked, and
if you defy those authorities, you know there will be consequences.
(15:45):
The shadow makes sure you always watch.
Speaker 19 (15:48):
What you say.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
It was not the only time Mary Lacey's assured Miel
that in Miami, in the US, he will be safe.
Speaker 8 (15:58):
I would like to follows to come and take him
up because I know he's safe and I know that
I put him in good hands.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Mary LASiS also told the Senate committee that Jua Miel
had previously told them he would do anything to make
it to the US. It was something that others had
heard too, like Al Fere Cuban American historian.
Speaker 17 (16:25):
I remember hearing, and I don't know if it's true,
if it's another chease me is that the father had
either applied to live or tried to leave himself before
the wholely young thing.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
The rumor was that Juan Miel wanted to come to
the US, and that he even applied to El Bombo,
the Bize lottery system, unique for Cubans at the time.
It was reported that the Ions had no record of
Juamiel applying, but an internal memo eventually surfaced revealing that
(16:55):
some Irons officials did believe he applied to Al Bombo,
and not only that, but that they suspected Juan Miuel
was being coerced by the Culture Region. But publicly, Jamiel
never went straight from his message that he would trace
his son in Cuba.
Speaker 20 (17:13):
The familia.
Speaker 10 (17:18):
Elian's family is in Cuba.
Speaker 14 (17:21):
He said.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
He has free health care and education here. His life
is here. The Irons interviewed Emiel two times in Cuba,
even in a so called neutral space, to make sure
he was fit as a father, and he told them
Elean was his life quote. I taught him how to swim,
(17:47):
do karate. He has a part of here, dogs, a
bicycle and all kinds of toys. When Miuel always taught
the I n S officials he wanted Elan to return
immediately to Que Dins recognized that Emuel was likely being
monitored by the Cuban government tim press, but this didn't
(18:07):
mean that his request for Elian to be returned was
not genuine.
Speaker 17 (18:12):
Let's say he wanted the boy to say. Could he
have said that, I don't think so. I think once
the Cuban government asked for the boy back, I don't
think there was any way for the father to have
said that.
Speaker 21 (18:24):
It's a very kind of Cuban problem in a sense,
right where in a place where people are expected to
say certain things, where people clap, even if they don't
mean it, it's hard to distinguish between what is stated
publicly and what is thought internally.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
A very Cuban problem, it is hard to know what
people really wanted in the alien case versus what they
said they wanted on both sides, and that includes Elian himself.
Speaker 17 (18:59):
The boys family in Miami kept saying, oh, he wants
to stay.
Speaker 8 (19:03):
I've asked him if he wanted to stay or if
he wanted to go back, and he told me he
wanted to stay.
Speaker 17 (19:10):
Even if the boy said that, can you take that
as a fact When he's a little boy who's being
given all these presents and he just lost his mother
and he's becoming attached to his cousin as a mother figure.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
A couple of weeks after our meeting with the Cuban
Mission in New York, we got news.
Speaker 10 (19:40):
He was not good news.
Speaker 22 (19:42):
Hello, Tim, I just saw the messages that or visa
was the night and looking at the email, it says,
I regret to inform you that the visa for Futuro
Media for the project about Elian Gonzalez in Cuba was
not approved. You know, no explanation, no avenue for week, consideration,
(20:08):
not anything. So it's official denied the visa to go
tomorrow country.
Speaker 10 (20:19):
I felt bad.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
It should not be like that, And then after we
asked for another meeting to make our case, the Cuban
mission agreed. We were hopeful this would mean their second chance.
So the team went back without me.
Speaker 21 (20:38):
And in Midtown Manhattan having a British javou.
Speaker 13 (20:42):
This is gonna be ten number two.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
The next day Nicole and Or executive producer Marlon Bishop called.
Speaker 7 (20:51):
Me, Okay, can you both hear each other?
Speaker 15 (20:54):
Hello?
Speaker 3 (20:55):
Hi?
Speaker 19 (20:56):
So yeah, we wanted to record a call and you
know about how it went at the Cuban mission.
Speaker 13 (21:03):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (21:05):
He kind of started off as like this speech about
like US Cuba relations and why they have to be
very careful diligent about do they approve journalist thesis for
but and he was just pretty like the rest their
concerns were.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Over up anyway, They had done some dging on us,
and the problem, it turns out, was me.
Speaker 19 (21:28):
So yeah, they left the room for a second and
he came back with a cell phone and he had
already pulled up your Twitter with the keyword of Cuba
and reading through tweets that you've made about Cuba in
the past, specifically about the protests that were happening.
Speaker 10 (21:45):
They didn't like some tweets, so they denied our visas.
Speaker 13 (21:49):
I was informant to my followers on Twitter that there
was a protest in Mexico City, mirrowing the protest in Cuba,
so basically I was doing my reporter job.
Speaker 19 (22:00):
I said the same thing. I said, I think she's just,
you know, informing people that this is going on, and
he's like, no, there's other tweets where it's you know,
it's more of a call to action. Well, I guess
this one is a little more opinionated. It says from
July twelve, twenty twenty one, just google the tennessa oil
no importancy to ninety's most to Kuba Party.
Speaker 10 (22:20):
My tweet said Cuba needs you today.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
It doesn't matter if you don't get what's going on,
or if you once admired the Custro regime dot dot
dot Today what matters is that you listen, look, speak.
I wrote a series of tweets calling for attention to
the massive protests of July twenty twenty one, when, for
the first time in decades, thousands of Cubans came out
(22:44):
to the streets to protest against the Jewan government, protesting
in a dictatorship at the high risk of spending.
Speaker 10 (22:54):
Years in Yale. It's a big deal. Yes.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
In this particular tweet, I share my opinion. It came
from a reflection I had from when I was younger
and less critical of the Cuban government. Back then, I
felt that the intentions of the Cuban government were good,
but it was just that our circumstances as a country
were difficult.
Speaker 10 (23:17):
And I know I'm not alone.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
A lot of people in the world have been moved
by this idea that Cuba is standing up to the
US like David versus Goliath. I was hoping to appeal
to those people outside of the island who once believed
in Castro's revolution. I wanted them to listen to what
actual Cubans on the island were saying. Even now, I
(23:49):
don't regret writing that tweet. As a journalist, I'm always
very careful with getting involved with my stories, but I'm
also a human and I felt like remaining side I
lent in front of those protests was wrong. So when
we got the rejection, I was not surprised, but I.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Was hard.
Speaker 13 (24:16):
So basically because I tweeted those things, we are prevented
from interviewing Alien. That's why he said, Like officially he didn't.
Speaker 19 (24:24):
In those words like you can't interview Alien, as he said,
you know, I think we're going to have to take
a pause, but it was clear that he meant that
this project, you know, wasn't going to be able to
go forward, that we need to build trust as an
organization with Cuba.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
One of the reasons I have spent most of my
career reporting about corruption and injustices in Mexico is because
I have been prevented from reporting about my own country.
I believe that journalism makes a country better, or at
least more aware of its problems and failures. It's not
the work of journalists to be a mouth peace for
any government.
Speaker 13 (25:02):
I know my people, you know, I know how they work.
But at the same time, it is part of the story.
This is part of why we have been saying that.
Speaker 15 (25:10):
This is the story that goes beyond a Yan and
goes into what was Fiva twenty five years ago and
what is Stula today. So twenty five years ago, my
father was prevented to.
Speaker 13 (25:21):
Be with me, and now I'm prevented.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
To go to my own country.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Four months after Elean was found at sea, the Miami
family would get their wish, the possibility of a family reunification.
Juan Miguel Gonzalez is ready at a moment's notice to
come to the United States to be reunited with his son.
This is Gregory Craig, Quamiel's attorney, who had also represented
(25:57):
President Bill Clinton when he faced Impishma and greg traveled
to Cuba and met with Viel Castro, who signed off
on him representing Famiel, and some assumed Castro was footing
the bill, but what was reported at the time was
that Amielle's attorney was paid for by a church group's donations.
(26:19):
After the visit, greg announced Jamiel would be coming to
the United States.
Speaker 18 (26:24):
He has been ready, willing, and waiting for too many weeks,
too many months.
Speaker 10 (26:30):
But with a condition.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
He needs only to be told that when he.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Comes here, he.
Speaker 11 (26:36):
Will in fact be given custody of his son.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
A condition that the Miami family had promised.
Speaker 10 (26:43):
To deliver on.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
In the early hours of April sixth, two thousand, Fidel
Castro personally saw off Jamiel when he left for the US.
His wife and their son, who was six months old,
traveled with him. Their family kissed them goodbye on the
tarmac before the sun even rose. This means a lot
to me. April sixth is my birthday. I was turning
(27:28):
thirteen that year, becoming a teenager. So while Famiel was
on his way to be reunited with his son with
Castro's blessing and support, I was still away from my dad,
separated by the US Cuba policies. Fidel spoke to the
press as the plane left. He said he had faith
(27:49):
it would all work out.
Speaker 5 (28:13):
Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome one Michuel Gonzales
to the United States America.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Immediately after landing in the United States, Joamiguel gave a
press conference on the tarmac alongside his lawyer, his wife
and newborn.
Speaker 10 (28:29):
It was not just the media there.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Some of the Cuban exile community were there to welcome
him with scigns like the maniola liberta.
Speaker 18 (28:45):
Sombra.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Someone in the crowd yells out, you're free here. Here
is no fear sombra. There is no shadow here. Remember
in Cuban and Spanish, it means there is no Cuban authorities,
no Fidel Castro, no one monitoring you, casting a shadow
over you. It is painful to watch this video. Umiel
(29:12):
looks defeated. He's reading a statement, stumbling over his words.
Speaker 20 (29:20):
Come on stm for me, I thought as sicological and
fluid and Supersionally, my.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Son has been subjected to cruel psychological pressures to influence
his personality, he said.
Speaker 20 (29:36):
Ellen I told into a c V in the meetings
in Majo communication to col interest, the saga provit of
political alma.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
And on top of everything, he added, Elian has been
exhibited in parades, meetings and in the media, all to
use his.
Speaker 10 (29:55):
Strategedy for political gain.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
From the video, you can tell that toll this saga
has taken on Juan Miguel. He looks tired, his best
friend in Cuba. Toll reporters at the time that Jamielle's
hair was falling out and he was suffering from stomach issues.
The next day, Juamiel met privately with the Attorney General,
(30:25):
Janet Reno.
Speaker 10 (30:26):
Afterwards, she spoke to the press.
Speaker 23 (30:29):
I wholeheartedly reject Cuba's system of government. Mister Gonzales and
I do not share the same political beliefs, but it
is not our place to punish a father for his
political beliefs or where he wants to raise his child. Indeed,
if we were to start judging parents on the basis
(30:49):
of their political beliefs, we would change the concept of
family for the rest of time.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Even when in the US, without Castro looking over his shoulder,
Emiel refused asylum again, saying his life and family were
in Cuba.
Speaker 10 (31:08):
An Eilean Wood grew up on the island Cuban.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
He wanted to go home. Not everybody wants to live
in the United States. Mister Gonzalez wanted to go home,
and he wanted to take a six year old son
with This is.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Jim Goldman, a special agent with the I Ins who
you met earlier in the series. Reno encouraged Juan Miel
to meet with the Miami family and hash things out,
but he told her it was too late. There was
so much anger and pain on all sides. The relatives
in Miami had promised that Jamiel only had to come
(31:47):
to the US and they would give a lean back.
But now even with Jamielle here, they still refused to
hand him over the government. So things were escalating.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Every day thing to start worse and worse, and worship
got darker and deeper.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
Eventually, the Attorney General and AS Commissioner flew to Miami
and met with the family there four hours in an
effort to reach an agreement.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
His relatives did not want him to go home. Call
it what you want. Was he being held against as
will I don't know. Was he endangered? I don't know.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
On April twelfth, almost a week after Camille had landed
in the US, the Ions instructed Lasarro Gonzalez remember the
Great Uncle, to bring Elean to the Opa Loka Airport
in Miami at two pm the next day, but he
never showed. This is when the government revoked the Miami
family's temporary care of Ilian. Remember, dian Areno was the
(32:50):
legal custodian for Elian in the US, and after he
was rescued, she gave the Miami family temporary care of him.
Speaker 23 (32:58):
It has been nearly twelve weeks since the Commissioner's decision,
four months since Elian was found at sea. It is
time for this little boy, who has been through so
much to be with his father. The relatives say it
would be wrenching to him to take him from the home,
(33:20):
but four months is no substitute for six years for
a father who had such an important role in raising
such a wonderful little boy.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
The day that Lasar was supposed to bring Elian to
the airport, a home video aired on Univision and soon
spread across the news.
Speaker 14 (33:42):
Ba Jnai Erica.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Eleann is sitting on a bed, presumably in the Miami
family home, and someone is recording a home video of
him saying, Bapa, I don't want to go to Cuba
and you should stay here.
Speaker 10 (34:01):
I'm not going to Cuba here.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
After this line, he looks away towards someone of camera,
and then the video cuts and edit before he picks up.
Speaker 10 (34:13):
Again, sahah here you stay to return with.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
Our Many who took the father's side felt that Eleano
was coached in this video that he as a child,
was being manipulated by the adults around him to say it.
He wanted to remain in the United States, but perhaps
(34:43):
what the Miami family had been worried about, that he
would not have free willing Cuba was actually his reality
here in the United States with them. On the same
day the video aired, the Florida Family Court reversed his
previous ruling and dismissed laceroscostoly request. The odds were stacking
(35:03):
up against the Gonzalezes of Miami, and yet they would
not watch.
Speaker 23 (35:09):
Instead of discussing how Ilion should be reunited, the attorneys
for the relatives continued to demand that we revisit the
issue of whether Alion should be reunited. That is not
what the law provides.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
As negotiations stalled, Emiel was in d C without his son.
One day, the frustration got to him as he grabbed
some air outside the Qban interessection in d C. Protesters
yelled to him that he could stay in the US
with a lian.
Speaker 9 (35:46):
Yes, that's yes, not I thing a waniyay? Why how'd
I leaving a maday?
Speaker 1 (35:55):
And he responded raising his middle finger. A brief hit
of his more brazen self, and also likely a breaking
point for him, because then Elian, who had been in
the spotlight twenty four seven, started disappearing from the public view.
Speaker 3 (36:13):
If my son hadn't been seen for five days, I'd
be concerned, and I know mister Gonzales would have been
concerned too.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
Elian's grandmother's visit didn't bring him home to Cuba. His
own father coming to the United States didn't bring the
Gonzaleses together. The government now believed that only one thing
could resolve the standoff at this point, an intervention by
force if necessary.
Speaker 10 (36:43):
That's next week. Chess Piece.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
The Elian Gonzales Story is a production of Tudo Studios
in partnership with Iheartsmichael Tura podcast Network. This show is
written and reported by me Pennilei Ramdez with Maria Garcia,
Nicole Rothwell, and Tasha Sandowa. Our editor is Maria Garcia,
additional editing by Marlon Bishop.
Speaker 10 (37:16):
Our senior producer is Nicole Rodwell.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Our associate producers are Tasha Sandoval and Elisabeth Loental Torns.
Sound designed by Jacob Rosati with help from Stephani Levo,
and our intern is Evelin Fajardo Albarez. Our senior production
manager is Jessica Elis, with production supports from Nancy Trujillo,
Francis Poon and Lolimar Marquez. Also thank you Lodi mar
(37:43):
for voicing Marie Lesy Gonzalez for a quote.
Speaker 10 (37:45):
That you heard in this episode.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
Mixing by Stephani Levo, Julia Caruso and j J.
Speaker 10 (37:51):
Corubin.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
Fat checking by Media Bautista, Scoring and musical creation by
Jacob Rosati and Stephanie Levo and credits music from Los
Aceros Or. Executive producers are Marlon Bishop and Maria Garcia.
Legal review by Neil Rossini. Hutua Media was founded by
Maria Novosa. For more podcasts, listen to the iHeartRadio app,
(38:17):
Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
An Penileia Mirez See you in the next episode Novenes
and episode Yeah
Host
Peniley Ramírez
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