MIAMI, 7) - By this time next week, 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez is supposed to be back in Cuba with his father, as ordered by the U.S. government.
However, the international fight has heated up over where to put the boy plucked from the sea after his mother and stepfather and eight others drowned trying to reach the United States.
Gov. Jeb Bush has appealed to President Clinton to reverse the order made by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, a ruling Attorney General Janet Reno said will stand.
While the issue appears settled in Washington, Cuban-Americans in Miami have made the case a cause celebre, taking their anger over the decision into the streets. One exile group called for more protests throughout Miami again today.
Demonstrators skirmished with police Thursday, with hundreds blocking intersections and cutting off access to the busy Port of Miami. A motorist plowed through a group of protesters blocking an intersection, knocking two people to the ground.
The disruptions lasted into the evening, and police in riot gear used tear gas to disperse a crowd.
``We won't stand for this!'' shouted Manny Guetierrez, 21, who was standing on the hood of a car. ``We don't care about the police. We will continue to demonstrate no matter how much force they use.''
In all, at least 135 people were arrested, including two prominent Cuban exile leaders. Among those arrested was Lazzaro Diaz, who later returned to protest outside the home where the little boy has been staying.
``Nothing is going to stop us from trying to get Elian to stay put here in the U.S.,'' said Diaz, 34. ``We are very, very serious about this.''
The INS said the boy must be returned to Cuba by Jan. 14.
For the past six weeks, Elian has been the subject of protests in Florida and Cuba and the center of an international debate over where he belongs. Fidel Castro kept up the pressure with another government-orchestrated demonstration Thursday in Havana.
The boy was found Thanksgiving Day clinging to an inner tube at sea after the others perished while trying to reach Florida by boat. Two adult survivors were rescued off Key Biscayne, Fla.
Since his rescue, the boy has been living in Miami with his paternal great-uncle and great-aunt.
Elian, whose whereabouts were kept secret after Wednesday's INS decision, arrived back at his relatives' home Thursday afternoon. His great-uncle hoisted Elian onto his shoulders and the boy smiled and waved to cheering supporters outside the house.
A source close to the family told The Associated Press that the boy has told American relatives he did not want to go back to Cuba. Elian's father called the boy from Cuba on Thursday, but it wasn't known what they discussed.
Lawyers for the relatives have asked Reno to reverse the decision and said they would announce plans for legal action today.
Reno said she had consulted with INS Commissioner Doris Meissner and agreed with the decision. ``Based on all the information we have to date, I see no basis for reversing,'' Reno said Thursday.
In appealing to Clinton, Bush said Castro had ``made Elian a poster child for his communist dictatorship'' and has used debate over Gonzalez' best interests ``into a way to advance his own political tyranny.''
Elian's cousin, Marisleysis Gonzalez, said she supported the demonstrators but asked them to remain peaceful.
``There are a lot of Cubans here who have suffered and they are willing to stop this because the laws here are not being fair,'' she said.
Even how Elian should return to Cuba is a subject of disagreement. American officials suggested that Elian's father come to Florida, while the U.S. National Council of Churches said the boy's relatives in Cuba want the organization to bring the boy back.
AP-NY-01-07-00 0356EST
Copyright 2000 The Associated Press |