MIAMI, 13 (AP) - About $215,000 has flowed into Elian Gonzalez's defense fund since fund raising began to help pay for legal costs in the battle to keep the 6-year-old Cuban boy in the United States, his family here says.
More than $200,000 was raised through a radio marathon Saturday on four Spanish-language stations, family spokesman, Armando Gutierrez, said Sunday.
Those donations were added to $15,000 raised earlier in the week.
Saturday's donations included five $1,000 checks, including one from Demetrio Perez, the Cuban-born director of the Lincoln-Marti, the private school Elian attends.
``We're getting all kinds of donations,'' Gutierrez said. ``And we really haven't advertised it outside Miami-Dade County.''
Elian was found clinging to an inner tube off Florida on Nov. 25. His mother and 10 others drowned when their boat capsized during an attempt to reach the United States.
The boy quickly became the subject of an international tug-of-war, with his father in Cuba demanding his return and his relatives in Miami fighting to keep him in the United States.
Relatives of the boy are awaiting a ruling from U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore, who heard arguments Thursday on whether to interfere with a decision by federal immigration officials to send Elian back to his father in Cuba.
On the Net: Web sites on the case of Elian Gonzalez:
http://www.granma.cu/sitioelian/indexing.html
http://libertyforelian.org
AP-NY-03-12-00 2041EST
Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. |