Elian Gonzalez turns 18, quietly celebrates

Elian Gonzalez, on June 30, 2010, is seen in a church of Havana, during the celebration of 10th Anniversary of his return from Miami. / Getty Images

HAVANA - Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban boy who survived a perilous raft journey that killed his mother and became a symbol of troubled relations between the United States and Cuba, is now an adult.

Gonzalez currently studies at a military academy on the island and took part in an 18th birthday celebration Tuesday in his native city of Cardenas alongside his father, according to images broadcast on the nightly news.

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Elian Gonzalez

Gonzalez was shy of his sixth birthday on Thanksgiving Day 1999 when a fisherman found him off the coast of Florida, clinging to an inner tube after his mother and others fleeing Cuba drowned trying to reach American soil.

He was taken to live with relatives in Miami but his father, who was separated from his mother and had remained on the island, demanded that the boy be sent back, saying Elian was taken without his consent. The dispute turned into a headline-grabbing international custody battle that weighed heavy on the 2000 presidential race between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

Fidel Castro threw the weight of the Cuban government behind the case, mobilizing seven months of massive demonstrations calling for Gonzalez's repatriation.

It was one of the few moments since 1959 when the Cold War rivals agreed on something: The U.S. legal system ruled that Gonzalez should be returned to his father.

But Gonzalez's Miami relatives refused to relinquish him, and on April 22, 2000, federal agents raided Elian's uncle's home in Little Havana and seized the boy from a closet at gunpoint. He returned to Cuba two months later.

On Tuesday, Elian spoke by phone with Rene Gonzalez, a Cuban intelligence agent who was released from prison in the U.S. in October but was ordered to serve three years' parole in the country. Cuba is demanding his return and has made his case and that of the other "Cuban Five" a cause celebre.

"He wished me a happy birthday," said Elian.

The two are not related.

[kathrynlynch]

Now that he is an adult, I hope Elian will visit this country who came to bat for him to return him to his father. We wished him well then, and we still wish him well.

[RichZubaty]

I'm glad to hear about Elian Gonzalez again. Returning him to his father was the first victory for Fathers Rights in America. And ironically, it was accomplished by Janet Reno, a Democrat and feminist Attorney General. What the situation brought out was the hypocrisy of the Republicans, who had been using Father's Rights organizations to covertly attack feminism - the Republicans favoring leaving the boy with his American relatives rather than returning him to his Cuban communist father. Reno had to take the boy back with quasi-military force. And for her courageous stand in favor of fathers she won, for the Democrats, the enmity of the Miami Cuban community, who overwhelmingly voted for George W Bush in 2000, and bequeathed us two recessions, two wars, and the feeblest most destructive presidency in our hiustory. So you see, it all does connect. The Elian Gonzalez saga was a very special situation with wide ranging unanticipated consequences. Too bad it led us into 8 years of conservative he!!.

[mary-miami]

The child Elian belonged with his father because no one has a right to take a child away from his parents just because of their political affliation. Parents have a right to bring their children up with whatever political or religious ideas they wish.
As far as the situation in Cuba is concerned, the truth is Cuba has been lacking in Human rights and Freedom for more than 50 years. They never have multi-party elections because all the candidates on the ballots are from the Communist party, so the people there don't have a real choice. The people in Cuba just want to be free, just like anywhere else. Elian is getting preferential treatment because of his past but typical island Cubans don't have all the luxuries he is given. When Cubans escape the island...it is an escape because people aren't free to travel unless they belong to the Communist party...they try to go to any country that is "free". Cubans have a right to come because they are truly seeking freedom, not like other Latins who have free elections in their native countries and just come here for work and food, (example, Mexicans). During the Cuban missile crisis, President Kennedy made an agreement with the Russia leader Kruschev (Kennedy-Kruschev law) that states that the US will never invade Cuba from our shores or any other as long as there aren't any missiles from Russia in Cuba. It has been to this day. Cuba should be a commonweath of the United States just like Puerto Rico. It would ensure Cuba's freedom because they will be ruled by the same American Constitution we all love. Thousands of Cubans came to the US in the '60s escaping tyranny and oppression and their descendants, American citizens, are members of both political parties, Republican and Democrats, but they share a common ideal...to see Cuba free one day.

[ReckonedTruth]

Thanks for the history lesson we are knew.. however TIMES have changed.. 911 proved this.. so all that *ish you mentioned is null and void at this point for the safety concerns of AMERICA..Cuban amnesty is a travesty these days to the safety of american soil and its inhabitants..we as NATION don't need to be into another nation's affairs.. unless its a concern to this nation's safety.. case closed.. we need to CLOSE or borders to any and everyone..including cubans.

[Transatlantique]

Actually, they don't when that religion or government can hurt or kill them as in genital mutilation rituals often, but not always, practiced by Jews and Muslims. I suppose you believe that Fred Phelps isn't harming his offspring either. Children have rights to happy and free lives that don't involve the oppression of religion or government. It is the selfish parent who brings a child into the world in an effort to create a "mini-me" version of that parent's self. His mother was trying to open doors for him, and his father closed them.

[ReckonedTruth]

Elian is of age now to make his OWN decisions.

I was in full agreement Elian should have been sent back to his native home Cuba and raised by his father.

Elian FATHER had the RIGHTS more-so than anyone else..even though Elian's mother died/drowned to make sure her son made it to this nation's shore to be raised by her relatives in florida.. which doesn't negate the idea- Elian's father should not have total custody of his OWN child back in Cuba.. as you see Elian has NOT made any other attempts to leave Cuba. I believe Elian is HAPPY in Cuba as he should be upon his choice now as an adult.

What needs to happen is to overturn the political asylum as set for cubans to come to this nation and given amnesty.. and we need to implement a new moderation..the ideal that cubans can come to this nation and Puerto Rico either hook or being a crook .. is a safety concern for our nation given to the outcome of 911..and to automically given amnesty because of political asylum to cubans is an invited travesty against the safety concerns, allowing terrorist landing on America's soil.

[skeezix06]

I wonder what his mother would say about the way his father and Cuba used Elian, if she was still alive. Probably not anything nice.

[democracy8]

USED?! He's his FATHER--he has more rights to custody of his son than anyone else, period.

[skeezix06]

He's been used by his father. I stand by that statement.

[realtimecoffee]

Being the 1% in Cuba is better that being the 99% in the US. I think he had some good childhood moments in America and I hope he might bridge the silly devide between us. Cuba should have been state 51. The world would have been a better place. And Castro would have had a place in the MLB hall of Fame.

[rwsmith29456]

Big mess for the poor kid, but at least they were able to get it resolved. Whether you like the decision or not, the father has more rights than the relatives. Maybe one day there won't be as much friction between Cuba and the U.S. I'm sure something will take it's place on the 'worry list', though.