-------- Original Message -------- Subject: ELIAN IS ONLY HALFWAY HOME Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2000 12:21:26 -0400 From: jacdon at earthlink.net Reply-To: marxism at lists.panix.com To: MARXISM LISTS <marxism at lists.panix.com>
A number of progressive and left organizations throughout the United States and the world have been fighting for months to return Elian Gonzalez back to his family in Cuba. Our local group in New York's Hudson Valley is part of that movement. Following is the statement by the Mid-Hudson National People’s Campaign and regional International Action Center on the news that Elian has been freed from captivity in Miami.
Jack A. Smith, Highland, N.Y.
ELIAN IS ONLY HALFWAY HOME (4/22/00)
Elian Gonzalez is now with his father and this is an initial victory for human rights, child rights and family rights. It is also a victory for Cuba, which, of course, was always the principal target of the diehards within the Miami community who used and abused this little boy for their narrow political advantage.
It took five months to extract Elian from the clutches of his distant Miami family. It need never have happened had the Clinton administration taken prompt action from the beginning. The Immigration and Naturalization Service determined within days of his rescue that Elian had a loving father in Cuba who wanted him returned immediately. The process was dragged out for several more weeks to placate the hotheads in Little Havana who wanted to continue exploiting the child in order to humiliate the Cuban government. The INS finally ruled in early January that the boy should be reunited with his father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, in Cuba, but the Justice Department procrastinated for three and a half more months before finally bringing him to his father--now waiting in the U.S. During this time the child has been manipulated and traumatized repeatedly by his “loving” kidnappers.
A nationwide movement in support of sending Elian home has developed in the United States over the past five months. In our region, there have been three demonstrations (in Kingston, New Paltz and Woodstock) to return to the boy to his family and homeland, organized by the Mid-Hudson National People’s Campaign and the Caribbean and Latin America Support Project (CLASP). Also, to our knowledge over 100 local people with whom we have been in direct touch have written letters to the editors and phoned, Emailed or faxed U.S. government officials to demand Elian’s return home.
The job of those who support the return of this family to Cuba is not yet over. Elian and his family must be allowed to return home as soon as possible. Juan Miguel has agreed to remain in the U.S. with his son during the process of court appeals. But, judging by the performance of Lazaro Gonzalez and his handlers from the hard-line rightist organizations in Little Havana, legal roadblock after roadblock will be placed in the way of returning Elian, his father, step-mother and little brother to Cuba in the near future. It is conceivable the process of legal delay and sabotage could take months and even years. This is not necessary or acceptable. We must demand an expedited legal process within a matter of weeks or be prepared to once again return to our picketlines, letters and phone calls. Let’s make sure this initial victory becomes a final victory for his loving family and the entire Cuban people who have marched and demonstrated tirelessly on behalf of this boy.
Restoring Elian to his father means he is halfway home. Let’s make sure he goes all the way, promptly.