Miami relatives denied visit with Elian and father

Marisleysis Gonzalez, top, weeps after Elian's removal from her home on Saturday. He was later taken to Andrews Air Force base, where he was reunited with his father.

Cuban boy reunited with father after pre-dawn raid

April 22, 2000
Web posted at: 11:02 p.m. EDT (0302 GMT)

In this story: Miami relatives turned away from base Lawyer: Elian 'at ease' Massive Cuban outpouring RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Elian Gonzalez saga moved to Washington Saturday, topping off a day of dramatic activity that included an armed pre-dawn raid by federal agents, widespread protests in three states, massive celebration in Cuba and a father-son reunion that ended nearly five months of separation.

As Saturday came to a close, Elian and his father Juan Miguel Gonzalez were spending the first night of their reunion at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, where Elian's Miami relatives had been denied entry to see the 6-year-old.

VIDEO CNN's Miami Bureau Chief John Zarrella has put together a time line of Elian Gonzalez's saga. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Kate Snow reports the plan now is for Juan Miguel and Elian Gonzalez to spend the next few days in seclusion. QuickTime Play Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Lucia Newman reports many people in Havana said the time had come for action. QuickTime Play Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K Attorney General Janet Reno says the decision to retrieve Elian by force was the last resort. (April 22) QuickTime Play Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     RESOURCES Who's who in the Elian Gonzalez case     MESSAGE BOARD US/Cuba relations     ALSO Scores arrested as Elian protests sweep Little Havana Bill Press: Federal marshals beat Elian's dad to door Cousin gives her account of Miami raid

The day began before dawn Saturday, when U.S. Immigration and Naturalization agents seized Elian from the home of his Miami relatives, breaking down the door, firing pepper spray into an angry crowd of protesters, and taking the screaming boy away toward Washington in a white unmarked minivan. There were no reports of serious injuries from the raid.

Once word spread of the seizure, dubbed Operation Reunion, so did unrest. Tension moved through Miami's Little Havana neighborhood as protesters spilled into the streets, lighting street fires and struggling with police carrying batons and shields. An angry crowd tore down the CNN tent at the house where Elian had lived. Shouting "Get out, get out," several dozen stormed into the tent and knocked its equipment over. At least 180 people were arrested.

About 300 demonstrators angered by Elian's seizure also caused trouble in New Jersey, when their highway march blocked traffic for 20 minutes through the vital Lincoln Tunnel connecting New Jersey with New York. Protesters also marched near the United Nations in Manhattan, and the Cuban Mission there. No arrests were reported.

Miami relatives turned away from base

Only a few hours after Elian had reunited with his father at Andrews Air Force Base, an entourage of Elian's Miami relatives arrived in Washington and drove to a Capitol Hill meeting with Sen. Bob Smith, R-New Hampshire.

The group included Elian's great-uncle Lazaro Gonzalez, his brother Delfin Gonzalez and Marisleysis Gonzalez, the boy's cousin and a primary caregiver for the nearly five months since Elian's rescue at sea. Also in the group was Donato Dalrymple, the recreational fisherman who rescued Elian.

Smith first met the family members, along with Elian, last January at their Miami home. The senator said Elian had asked him in Spanish to help him remain in the United States. After the meeting Saturday Smith said the family's anguish was painfully apparent on their faces.

Later the senator accompanied Elian's Miami relatives to the air force base, presumably to arrange a meeting with Juan Gonzalez and/or Elian. But the motorcade was blocked from entering the base, and a public information officer said the Miami relatives were not authorized to enter. Juan Gonzalez did not wish to meet with the relatives, according to his lawyer Gregory Craig.

Juan and Elian Gonzalez and their Cuban family members are expected to remain at the base for the next several days. Federal officials may eventually move them to the Wye River Plantation on Maryland's eastern shore, according to sources. The decision is not yet final, sources said. Wye River was the site of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks in 1998.

Lawyer: Elian 'at ease'

The air force base, where the presidential jet Air Force One is housed, was the scene Saturday of Elian's reunion with his father. Although Craig said he did not witness the actual meeting, he did see them shortly afterward and Elian appeared "at ease."

A federal agent finds Elian Gonzalez in the clutches of the recreational fisherman who rescued him at sea

"I saw Juan Miguel and Elian within minutes afterward as they got out of the car and came to the location where they're going to be staying for the next couple of days on the air force base," Craig said. "It was clear that there was huge relief on Juan Miguel's face and a wonderful smile and ... comfortable physical contact between Elian and his father."

Elian was seized on authority from the U.S. Justice Department, which ruled that the boy's Cuban father was his legal guardian and not his Cuban-American relatives in Miami. The Miami relatives fiercely oppose Cuban leader Fidel Castro and want Elian to remain in the United States.

Elian's fate, however, remains unsettled. The courts will ultimately rule on whether the boy should stay in the United States. A federal appeals court is scheduled to hold a hearing in the case on May 11. Judges are expected to rule on whether Elian can legally file for political asylum to remain in the United States.

Marisleysis, left, and Lazaro fly to Washington on Saturday

Massive Cuban outpouring

In Cuba, emotions were festive at the site of a huge pre-planned demonstration calling for Elian's return, featuring Cuban President Fidel Castro.

"Elian, friend! Cuba is with you!" chanted an estimated 400,000 people called by Cuba's communist government to gather at Central Australia, a well-known sugar refinery and processing center. It was from here that Castro commanded revolutionary troops who vanquished an exile army at the Bay of Pigs 39 years ago last week.

Elian was rescued by two fishermen while clinging to an inner tube off the Florida coast last November 25. His mother and 10 others drowned when their boat sank while trying to reach the United States from Cuba. In addition to Elian, two others survived.

Correspondents Patty Davis, Mark Potter, Susan Candiotti, Martin Savidge, Justice Department Correspondent Pierre Thomas and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Elian's Miami relatives turned away from meeting with father
April 22, 2000
Federal agents seize Elian in pre-dawn raid
April 22, 2000
Reno ponders force, other options, to end Elian standoff
April 22, 2000
Elian's father pleads for son; Clinton backs boy's return
April 21, 2000
Elian's father pleads for U.S. public support; mass protest held in Havana
April 20, 2000
Transferring custody of Elian not ruled out, Reno says
April 19, 2000
Elian's well-being debated as court considers case
April 18, 2000
Unless barred by court order, INS to remove Elian from Miami home
April 17, 2000

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U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
U.S. Department of Justice
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United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
LibertyForElian.org - Foundation to Help Save Elian
Granma Internacional Digital, Cuba
  •  Kidnap in Miami
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