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CONTINUING DEVELOPMENTS IN ELIAN GONZALEZ CASE 
More information on the raid that removed Elian Gonzalez from the Miami home where he was staying is continuing to be released.  In debriefing reports released by the Justice Department this week, all six of the agents who entered the home defended their actions and maintained that their conduct was not inappropriate.  
Since the raid and the publication of the infamous picture of an agent seeming to point a gun at Elian, many have accused the agents of using excessive violence, swearing, and threatening to shoot people in the house.  According to the report, the agent in the picture was holding his weapon as he had been instructed in training.  Also, it says that none of the agents used profanity or threatened to shoot anyone. 
According to the summary of the report, “News footage of the operation clearly shows that the team members acted with discipline and restraint . . . as they entered the González home.  This report indicates that this same level of professionalism and control was maintained during the rest of the operation.'' 
The report denies that there was any contact between the agents and the reporters outside the home, two of whom have claimed that the agents physically attacked them. The report does, however, admit that there was some confusion among the agents before entering the house.  If they were not allowed into the house voluntarily, one agent was to step off the porch as a signal that force would be needed to enter.  One of the other agents believed he saw the agent fall from the porch, and thought he may have been pushed, so he shouted an order to break down the door. 
The report also confirms that an unknown person attempted to take Elian from the agent who was carrying him to the van.  This person began pulling the agent and Elian into a bush, but released the agent when two other agents came to the area. 
Not released in the report, but found in an internal memo discovered this week by the Miami Herald, the agents conducting the raid looked upon the local police as a risk.  According to the memo, which was dated May 4, the security erected by local police, who had cordoned off a six-block area around the house, made it difficult to collect information.  The memo reveals that it was the assistance of an unnamed local official that led to the cooperation of the Miami police force. 
The memo lists the police force and media as being important factors in determining how large a force to deploy in the raid.  One concern about the police was their practice of parking cars just outside of the barricade at night, denying vehicles entry into the barricaded area.  The memo also says that local police were notifying Cuban American Security forces of ongoing developments.  The media was seen as an especially big problem.  The crowds outside the house became more vocal when cameras were rolling, and the agents could not be sure media personnel would remain outside the barricades after the raid began.  
In related news, attorneys for the Miami relatives have again requested a meeting with Elian and his father.  According to the letter sent to Gregory Craig, the attorney representing Juan Miguel Gonzalez, “the González family in the United States loves Elián deeply and wishes to see him and spend some time with him. Although they have their differences with Juan Miguel, he is certainly family, and it would be beneficial to Elián for the families to meet and mend their problems.”  
The letter was the first such request that was not addressed to INS officials, and the first that did not demand that they be allowed to meet privately with Elian.  The INS has maintained that it cannot force Juan Miguel to make Elian available for a visit.  It also plans on conducted a screening before any meeting to ensure that it would not harm Elian. 
Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee has issued a subpoena for documents relating to the raid.  The documents will be reviewed to see if hearings on the raid are called for.