Elian Gonzalez, Ex-Refugee, Joins Cuba's Communist Youth Group
By Demian McLean
June 16 (Bloomberg) -- Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban boy whose two-nation custody battle sparked debate about parental rights versus political freedom and ended with a raid by gun-toting U.S. agents, has joined his homeland's Young Communist Union.
Gonzalez, 14, was among 18,000 people who joined the communist youth group two days ago, said the state-run newspaper Juventud Rebelde. The teenager is quoted as pledging fealty to ex-President Fidel Castro and his brother and successor, Raul Castro.
``Fidel and Raul can count on us,'' Gonzalez said, according to the newspaper. ``We won't let them down.''
In 2000, at age 6, Gonzalez survived a boat accident off Florida that killed his mother, who was seeking refuge in the U.S. Cuban dissidents in Miami, including family members, embraced Gonzalez and sought permanent custody.
Gonzalez's father, still in Cuba, demanded the boy be returned, as did Castro's government.
As a legal battle ensued, the issue consumed TV and radio talk shows and newscasts. Anti-Castro protesters took to the streets of Miami.
A federal court eventually sided with Elian's father. When Elian's Miami relatives refused to hand the boy over, President Bill Clinton's attorney general, Janet Reno, ordered a predawn raid of the home where he was staying.
Armed immigration agents found the boy in hiding in a closet. A photojournalist's picture of the frightened child, crying as an agent pointed a rifle, was awarded a Pulitzer Prize.
To contact the reporter on this story: Demian McLean in Washington at dmclean8@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: June 16, 2008 11:21 EDTSource: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=avSr1VJRaLpA&refer=latin_america
