>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] : > >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. > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
