 DESPITE INS ORDERS, ELIAN GONZALEZ REMAINS IN THE US
Early this week it looked like Elian Gonzalez would be reunited with his father by this time. Now, however, it seems that the custody situation is no closer to resolution.
The Miami family was scheduled to deliver Elian on Thursday, but the family openly defied this order. The family then obtained a temporary injunction from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals preventing Elian's removal from the US. At a hearing on this injunction Friday, the government said it would not make any move to take custody of Elian for the next three or four days. The government also made the concession that if the Miami family transfers custody of Elian to his father, the INS will not make any attempt to transfer Elian to Cuba.
The Miami family also presented its case before a US District Court in Washington, D.C., claiming that Elian should not be returned to Cuba until Cuba's compliance with the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights is certified. They claim that he will be more indoctrinated than other Cubans because of the events of the past few months. A hearing on this matter is scheduled for Wednesday, April 19.
The family is coming under some criticism for what some call exploitation of Elian. This week a video of Elian telling his father that he did not want to return to Cuba was obtained by Univision, a leading Spanish language television system, and was then quickly circulated to all the major media outlets. The tape raised concerns that Elian was being manipulated. While many agree that Elian is being manipulated, they argue that the manipulation is not solely from the Miami family.
It remains to be seen what next week will bring in this ongoing controversy, but it will doubtless continue to be one of the most covered immigration stories in recent memory.
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