Most support seizure of Elian

The Miami Herald
May 3, 2000

Most support seizure of Elian

Majority of Americans oppose hearings in Congress, poll says

BY CAROL ROSENBERG

A week after the raid in Little Havana, a majority of Americans still support the U.S. government's decision to reunite Elian Gonzalez with his father -- and think Congress shouldn't bother with hearings on the matter, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday.

Sixty percent of respondents said they approved of the raid in interviews conducted last weekend. That's the same percentage as in a one-day Gallup poll on April 24.

Other results:

Most Americans, 64 to 26 percent, believe the reunion of father and son, even if it meant the boy was ``returned to live under communism in Cuba,'' was more important than ``growing up in a democratic country.''

Fifty-four percent said they disapproved of Congress' plans to hold hearings next week on the Justice Department raid; 43 percent approved and 3 percent had no opinion.

When asked to think ``specifically about the methods the Justice Department used'' in the raid, 53 percent said they disapproved, compared to 43 percent approving of the way it was done.

Frank Newport, editor-in-chief of the Gallup poll, an independent Princeton, N.J., based survey group, said the American public was apparently well aware that Elian would suffer certain disadvantages back in Cuba, but still favored the father over his more extended South Floridian family, led by great-uncle Lazaro Gonzalez.

``Apparently the more generally negative environment that the public perceives to exist in communist Cuba is outweighed by its perception of the positive benefits of Elian being with his natural parent,'' Newport said.

Gallup said 1,003 adults had been interviewed for the survey. The results had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Gallup also tackled the touchy topic of whether children should be able to seek political asylum in the United States on their own, without the involvement of their parents. That is the issue that will be debated when attorneys for the government and the Miami relatives appear for oral arguments May 11 before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Most respondents, 61 percent, said children should not be allowed to apply for political asylum without their parents' consent -- compared to 25 percent who supported that right. Nine percent said it depends and 5 percent had no opinion.