Elian, who turned 6 on Monday, has been placed with relatives in Florida after his rescue

December 6, 1999
Web posted at: 6:01 a.m. EST (1101 GMT)

HAVANA (CNN) -- The young boy at the center of the latest U.S.-Cuban immigration dispute turns 6 on Monday as U.S. officials prepared for new demonstrations outside their compound in Havana.

Members of Cuba's Communist Youth group demonstrated outside the U.S. Interests Section in Havana on Sunday to protest the decision to keep Elian Gonzalez with relatives in the United States despite his Cuban father's request that the boy be returned to him. Earlier Sunday, Cuban President Fidel Castro has demanded that U.S. officials turn over the boy by Wednesday or face massive protests.

MESSAGE BOARD US/Cuba relations     From Court TV No precedents in custody battle for 5-year-old Cuban refugee

Castro compared the case to a kidnapping and told Cuban state television, "That is not to be negotiated. The right of a father to his son is not for negotiation."

U.S. officials ignored Castro's demands Sunday.

"We do not respond to press reports of alleged threats being made by Fidel Castro," said a State Department official. But one administration official, who declined to be identified, told CNN the United States has beefed up security around the Interests Section, Washington's unofficial embassy in Cuba.

The dispute comes as the United States and Cuba prepare for a December 13 meeting to discuss migration between the two nations.

Elian's father, Juan Gonzalez, wants the boy returned to him

Elian was found clinging to an inner tube in the waters off Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Thanksgiving. He was one of three survivors when a boat smuggling Cubans to Florida sank, leaving 10 aboard -- including his mother and stepfather -- to drown.

His father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, wants the boy returned to him. But Elian's relatives in Miami, backed by anti-Castro groups, insist he should stay and enjoy the freedom they say he would not have at home.

"All they've done is use the boy as a political weapon against Cuba," his father said.

In Havana, speakers at a fiercely anti-American rally denounced "Yankee imperialism" and proclaimed that Cuba's 11 million people were prepared to shed blood to see the boy returned. The hour-long event was closely controlled by Cuban security agents, and there was no attempt to enter the fortified U.S. mission.

Correspondent Marina Kolbe and Reuters contributed to this report.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.