MSNBC
January 25, 2000
 
 
Elian set to meet grandmothers
 
                         MIAMI, Fla., Jan. 26 - Another dramatic chapter
                         is set to unfold on Wednesday in the Elian
                         Gonzalez custody clash. After an order from the
                         U.S. Justice Department, a meeting will occur
                         between Elian and his grandmothers.
                         Authorities say the meeting is set occur around 4:00 p.m.
                         at the home of  Barry University President Sister
                         Jeanne O’Laughlin in Miami Beach.
                             However, the grandmothers are still in Washington, D.C..
                         The fight to keep Elian Gonzalez in the United States looked
                         as if it had stalled on Tuesday, when Elian’s two
                         grandmothers awoke to a winter wonderland in
                         Washington, D.C. There, they were supposed to meet with
                         Congress. But Congress and other government agencies
                         were shut down due to a blizzard. Elian’s South Florida
                         family had plans to leave for Washington early Tuesday, but
                         those plans were put on hold at least until the storm passes.
                             Elian’s two grandmothers arrived at the Tamiami Airport
                         in southwest Miami-Dade County Monday afternoon to see
                         their grandson and hopefully take him back to Cuba. But,
                         the meeting never took place.
                             It was a dramatic scene at the Tamiami Airport Monday
                         evening. After spending over four hours at the airport, the
                         grandmothers decided to go back to Washington, D.C. As
                         the plane was taking off, Elian’s great uncles were entering
                         the airport, without Elian, to meet with the grandmothers.
                         This all happened after the grandmothers refused to come to
                         Elian’s South Florida family’s home where dinner was
                         awaiting them. They never made that dinner appointment
                         because the grandmothers were hoping to meet with Elian
                         privately at a neutral site. At the same time the South
                         Florida family refused to meet with the two women
                         anywhere other than at their house. It was a dispute that
                         apparently was never settled, as the the grandmothers left
                         without ever visiting Elian or any other member of his family.
                             The two women, since their arrival in the United States, had
                         stated they would not come to Miami. Both Mariel Quintana
                         and Raquel Rodriguez appeared on NBC’s “Today” show on
                         Monday, saying they feared going to South Florida because of
                         threats made on their lives. But, the grandmothers apparently
                         changed their minds and made the trip on Monday. However,
                         they never left the safety of the airport.
                             Elian’s South Florida family may also be intensifying this
                         international battle, as they will likely take their case to
                         Capitol Hill, where Congress could introduce legislation to
                         grant U-S citizenship to the 6-year-old.
                             Mariel Quintana and Raquel Rodriguez were surrounded
                         by 2,000 well wishers during a church service in New York
                         City on Sunday. They denounced the South Florida family’s
                         petition to Congress.
                             “They can’t make him a U.S. citizen, with whose
                         authorization? The only person in charge of that boy is Juan
                         Miguel Gonzalez– the boy’s father. How are they going to
                         make a 6-year-old sign the papers? He can barely read and
                         write,” one grandmother declared.
                             The move to Congress comes after a dramatic chapter
                         unfolded in this international custody case on Friday when
                         Elian’s two grandmothers arrived in the United States.
                             The two women arrived at John F. Kennedy International
                         Airport shortly after 3:30 in the afternoon on Friday aboard
                         a Lear jet chartered by the National Council of Churches.
                         Elian’s father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, remained in Cuba.
                             Upon their arrival, the grandmothers held a news
                         conference at the airport. Juan Miguel’s mother, Mariel Quintana
                         expressed her thanks to U-S officials who have been trying to
                         allow her grandson to return home to Cuba. She said that would
                         allow an end to what she called “this tragedy that is so hard for us
                         as a family.”
                             Raquel Rodriguez, the mother of Elian’s mother, told
                         reporters that she wants to preserve the memory of her
                         daughter – who died during the ill-fated boat trip from
                         which Elian was rescued. She said the way to preserve that
                         memory is for Elian to be in Cuba with his grandmothers.
                             The grandmothers are traveling with officials from the
                         U.S. Council of Churches, the religious group that is
                         representing Elian’s father’s plight to get his son back. The
                         Clinton Administration granted visas to the grandmothers on
                         Thursday.
                             The visas were issued as representatives of the National
                         Council of Churches were flying to Cuba to meet with the
                         grandmothers and with Cuban government officials. The
                         council strongly supports the Cuban government’s position
                         that the boy should be reunited with his father. The women
                         are making the trip to make “an appeal to the American
                         people,” said Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National
                         Council of Churches.
                             This after Attorney General Janet Reno said on Thursday
                         she’ll let the courts decide the fate of Elian Gonzalez, but
                         stood by her statement that the 6-year-old should go back
                         to Cuba.
                             Meanwhile, the fight for Elian Gonzalez had already
                         moved to another level on Wednesday when his South
                         Florida relatives filed a federal lawsuit in Miami. The
                         lawsuit, named Elian Gonzalez vs. Janet Reno, seeks relief
                         from the Immigration and Naturalization Service order that
                         would return the boy to his father in Cuba.
                             Attorney General Janet Reno has said that the only way
                         the ruling can be challenged is in federal court, and now that
                         is exactly what is happening. This came after a state court
                         ruled in the family’s favor giving temporary custody of Elian
                         to his great uncle in Miami.
                             Another group, The American Coalition for Fathers and
                         Children, said they plan to lobby for the return of Elian to
                         his father in Cuba. They also promised to oppose a bid in
                         Congress to grand citizenship or permanent residency to the
                         boy.
                             Two Fridays ago, hundreds of thousands of people in
                         Cuba took part in a massive organized protest. This was in
                         the wake of the refusal of the INS and Janet Reno to send
                         Elian Gonzalez back on the original deadline.
                             The march took place on the famous Malecon, which is
                         on the waterfront in Havana. The crowd was supposedly
                         made up of mothers and grandmothers, who say they value
                         the family and want Elian’s family to be together. The
                         women called the protests, “The March of the Combatant
                         Mothers.”
                             On the Wednesday before that, Attorney General Janet
                         Reno overruled a family court judge’s decision, saying a
                         state court does not have jurisdiction over federal
                         proceedings. Reno backed the INS decision to grant full
                         custody of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez to his father in Cuba.
                             Family court Judge Rosa Rodriguez had made two
                         rulings several weeks ago. The first was that her court has
                         jurisdiction in the case. Then she also issued a temporary
                         order granting protective custody to Elian’s paternal great
                         uncle. That decision would have allowed Elian’s Miami
                         relatives to fight for permanent custody of him. She also
                         ruled that he is not to be removed from the United States
                         until a full hearing on his custody is held on March sixth.
                             But Janet Reno made it clear that the INS’s decision to
                         grant custody of Elian to his father could only be challenged
                         in a federal court. So now that’s where the case will likely
                         end up-in federal court.
                             Cuban-American protests over the INS decision to give
                         Elian Gonzalez back to his father have been put on hold for
                         now, as Cuban-American leaders wait to see what will
                         happen now that the court has ruled in their favor.
                             If demonstrations should begin again, a spokesperson for
                         the family of Elian Gonzalez has asked protestors to
                         demonstrate peacefully in support of their cause. This
                         statement came after protests several weeks ago in Miami
                         disrupted thousands of people, led to dozens of arrests, and
                         left several hurt. It got so bad that at one point police had to
                         fire tear gas to break up a mob of unruly protestors.
                             One night a tear gas incident took place, as a line
                         of police in riot gear inched toward an unruly mob. The
                         mob was throwing bottles and harassing the police
                         horses giving police no choice but to use the gas.
                                Many are hoping these demonstrations will force a
                         change in the INS ruling to send the six-year-old boy back
                         to Cuba.
                             “He deserves a day in court after surviving the ordeal he
                         did,” charged one protestor.
                             Arrests continued as Miami Commissioner Tomas
                         Regalado argued with police on behalf of an elderly man.
                         Several officers held back the angry commissioner.
                             Police said keeping the peace while preserving
                         protestors’ rights is difficult.
                             “We’re dancing a real fine line here. We’ve got to allow
                         these people the right to protest and we’ve got to protect
                         the rights of people who just want free access to and from
                         the city. And it’s a very passionate issue,” said Miami police
                         Lt. Bill Schwartz.
                             Regalado admitted many in the mob were just using
                         Elian’s cause as an excuse for mayhem.
                             “These people are just here trying to make a scene and
                         it’s very sad,” the commissioner said.
                              The protests began weeks ago, when hundreds of
                         protestors broke through police barricades and spilled onto
                         the streets of downtown Miami. Traffic came to a halt as
                         demonstrators waving Cuban flags and anti-Castro signs
                         marched through intersections. Police arrested at least 135
                         people, including two high-profile leaders in the exile
                         community.
                             The peaceful yet vocal protest, which began Thursday
                         morning at the Claude Pepper Federal Building, erupted
                         when protestors rushed through the intersection of
                         Northwest First Avenue and Flagler Street. While they
                         headed east, one group led by longtime exile protestor
                         Miguel Saavdera sat down in the middle of Flagler and
                         remained there.
                             Chanting “Libertad, Libertad”, hundreds of other protestors
                         set out for the
                               Port of Miami, which is outside the jurisdiction of the
                         City of Miami. Police in full riot gear were deployed to keep
                         the situation under control.
                             Protestors set up a human chain at both the entrance and
                         exit to the Port of Miami. The Port, which is a major
                         economic hub of South Florida, was successfully shut
                         down. All of this was accomplished by a relatively small
                         crowd.
                             Many motorists were angered by the inconvenience.
                             “I think it is truly unfair of these people to demonstrate in
                         the middle of the street, in the middle of the day, and
                         inconvenience the entire City of Miami,” charged one
                         commuter.
                             However, one driver we spoke with did not seem to
                         mind: “I agree with it 100 percent. I don’t want the kid
                         being sent back to Cuba. I want him to live in freedom like
                         we live in.”
                             Within minutes, Miami-Dade police began to make
                         their move. Their philosophy was much different than
                         the City of Miami. Miami-Dade starting taking down
                         protestors and arrested more than 50 people,
                         including the leader of the  Democracia Movement
                         Ramon Saul Sanchez and the head of  Brothers to
                         the Rescue, Jose Basulto.
                             But Miguel Saavdera, because he stayed within the City
                         of Miami, was not arrested. During the rest of the day, other
                         smaller demonstrations broke out and some other arrests
                         were made, especially at the corner of Flagler and Red
                         Road.
                             In Cuba, Castro is urging Cubans to continue
                         demonstrating until Elian is returned. Castro attended a rally
                         in Havana in the boy’s honor several weeks ago. Streets
                         were calm around the Cardenas home of Elian’s father,
                         Juan Miguel Gonzalez.
                             Many on the island say the INS did the right thing.
                         Castro also warned Cubans that South Florida exiles would
                         “proceed with all their resources to impede or delay” the
                         boy’s return.
                             Elian was only one of three people to survive a deadly
                         float to freedom from Cuba. His mother, stepfather and
                         several other refugees died on that doomed boat trip. The
                         boy was found off the coast of Fort Lauderdale on
                         Thanksgiving Day after two days of clinging to an inner
                         tube.