Elian's father, 27 others apply for U.S. visas

Talks resume in Miami between Justice Department and boy's U.S. relatives

Elian plays with his pet rabbit in the yard of his Miami relatives' home

April 3, 2000
Web posted at: 1:36 p.m. EDT (1736 GMT)

In this story: U.S. relatives vow to obey law Is father coming to U.S.? 'The issue is not whether we will transfer Elian to his father, but when' RELATED STORIES, SITES

MIAMI (CNN) -- The father of Elian Gonzalez and 27 other people applied in Cuba on Monday for U.S. visas, while in Miami talks resumed between Justice Department officials and representatives of the boy's U.S. relatives.

The Justice Department says the family has until Tuesday to sign a pledge agreeing to turn over the 6-year-old boy if it loses a custody battle in court. Otherwise, the government has threatened to revoke the boy's permission to stay in the United States. That deadline has already been extended twice.

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In Havana, the Cuban government submitted 28 visa applications for Elian's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, and a support team to come to the United States. The requests must be approved by the U.S. State Department.

"We do expect to be making decisions on these visa applications fairly quickly," department spokesman James Rubin said in Washington.

He indicated visas likely would be approved for members of Elian's immediate family while requests from others in the entourage "will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, based on what we regard to be the (U.S.) national interest."

A senior Clinton administration official told CNN that the State Department is "fairly certain" to approve all 28 visa applications "barring any obviously objectionable person and we don't expect that."

U.S. relatives vow to obey law

In their refusal to sign the pledge, Elian's U.S. relatives want to preserve their option to keep up the legal fight even if they lose their case in federal court. They also want a family court, which considers a child's best interests, to hear the case.

The next scheduled hearing in the case is May 8 before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

Despite their resistance to the federal government's wishes, the Miami relatives have said they will obey the law and surrender the boy if immigration agents show up at their door and demand him. Federal officials hope to avoid that.

Is father coming to U.S.?

The 28 visa applications submitted on Monday covered Elian's father, his wife (who is Elian's stepmother), his youngest son (Elian's half-brother), and a cousin of Elian's.

Also in the father's entourage: 12 of Elian's friends from his school in Cuba; two of his teachers; a medical team; and a group of advisers including Cuban National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon.

"The plane will be ready to leave Tuesday if the visas are granted," Cuban President Fidel Castro said Sunday during a live television program attended by Elian's father.

Originally, Castro said applications would be filed for 31 visas, but three members of the medical team later were dropped from the list.

The visa requests were filed at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, which is Washington's unofficial embassy in the Cuban capital.

'The issue is not whether we will transfer Elian to his father, but when'

State Department spokesman James Rubin says U.S. officials will expedite the process for granting visas to immediate family members of Elian, with the rest reviewed on a case-by-case basis   ( 213 K/20 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

The boy's great-uncle, Lazaro Gonzalez, issued a statement Sunday in Miami inviting Juan Gonzalez, his wife and their baby son to "spend time with us as a family, to begin a process of interaction with Elian under circumstances that are best for him."

Roger Bernstein, an attorney representing the Miami relatives, repeated the invitation on Monday.

"We're extremely hopeful that Juan Miguel Gonzalez will come to the United States, not under the thumb of Fidel Castro, but as a free man and have the ability to come to the home of Lazaro Gonzalez, sit down with the family and find what is a fair solution," Bernstein told CNN.   ( 213 K/20 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

For four months now, Juan Gonzalez has been fighting to have his son returned to Cuba, but the boy's Miami relatives, backed by the powerful Cuban exile community in Florida, have waged a fierce legal battle to let Elian grow up in the United States.

They have cared for the boy since he was rescued November 25 off Florida after a shipwreck killed his mother and 10 other Cubans attempting to reach the United States. Elian was one of three survivors.

"Our goal is to reunite Elian and his father," said Maria Cardona, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. "Suffice it to say, the issue is not whether we will transfer Elian to his father, but when and how."

Havana Bureau Chief Lucia Newman, Senior White House Correspondent John King and Correspondent Susan Candiotti contributed to this report.

Relatives will surrender Elian if ordered, attorney says
April 2, 2000
Elian spends another weekend in Florida
April 1, 2000
Lawyer: Miami relatives will let Elian's father visit child, but not take him
March 31, 2000
INS, Elian's relatives to resume negotiations Monday
March 30, 2000
INS, Elian's relatives to continue talks Thursday
March 29, 2000
Justice Department: Elian's Miami relatives not in compliance with ultimatum
March 27, 2000

U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
U.S. Department of Justice
Democracia Info Page
LibertyForElian.org - Foundation to Help Save Elian
Granma Internacional Digital, Cuba
  • Kidnap in Miami
Cubaweb
Cuban American National Foundation

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