Elian Gonzalez, 25 years after custody battle, seeks to bridge divide between Cuba and U.S.
Twenty-five years after federal agents stormed a Miami home to seize 5-year-old Elian Gonzalez and return him to Cuba, the now 31-year-old industrial engineer and Cuban National Assembly member reflects on his simple life in Cardenas, his mother's sacrifice and his desire to unite Cubans across the Florida Straits.
A life shaped by tragedy and resilience
The fight over custody of Elian Gonzalez ended on April 22, 2000, when heavily armed federal agents raided the Little Havana home of his Miami family. Elian was seized at gunpoint and returned to his father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, who was soon back in Cuba with his 5-year-old son.
Today, Elian still lives in the house where he grew up.
"I grew up with my family. I grew up with those I had to be with and that makes me very happy," Elian Gonzalez said during a 2023 interview with Liz Oliva Fernandez, an independent Cuban journalist for the U.S.-based media outlet Belly of the Beast.
Elian Gonzalez said during the interview that his life is simple, he is married and has a young daughter. Her name is Eliz in honor of his mother Elizabeth, who died at sea during the ill-fated attempt to escape from Cuba.
"My mother was an excellent mother," Elian Gonzalez said. "She lost her life trying to save me. And looking for a better place to live. She was also a victim of that policy of sanctions against Cuba that makes Cubans want to emigrate."
From Miami refugee to Cuban politician
Elian Gonzalez was elected to a seat in the Cuban National Assembly. He represents the city of Cardenas. He said he has never regretted returning to Cuba and that he's led a normal life despite the popularity he gained during the international custody fight that saw protests on the streets of Miami and Cuba.
"Oh, I'll never forget that day," said former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz. He was an attorney for Elian Gonzalez's Miami relatives. Diaz fought court battles to keep the boy in the U.S., facing off against then-Attorney General Janet Reno, whose hometown was Miami. Reno knew the passion Elian Gonzalez's story ignited in Miami.
"The whole thing became very political." Diaz said. "It took on a life of its own with the family pitted against each other in a very adversarial way that didn't have to be."
Liz Oliva Fernandez, the Cuban journalist who interviewed Elian Gonzalez in 2023, said he wants to reunite Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits. You can watch the entire interview here.
"I really believe he wants to build bridges between Cuba and the United States," Oliva Fernandez said. "I believe he wants to find a balance between the two sides."
Elian Gonzalez added that he wants to make sure no other mother risks her life or the life of a child trying to escape conditions in Cuba like his mother did 25 years ago.
