[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 149]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  RETURN ELIAN GONZALEZ TO HIS FATHER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, I recently returned from Cuba with the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) and had the chance, while in 
Cuba, to talk with many people regarding Elian Gonzalez.
  As a trained social worker, as a mother, and as a grandmother, my 
concern is that the child be in a loving environment, free of abuse. My 
concern is for his well-being, his mental and physical health and that 
he has a stable family environment.
  We met with Mr. Juan Gonzalez, Elian's father, and his great 
grandmother and other members of his family. This meeting and 
discussions with many people in Cuba who know the family have convinced 
me unequivocally that Elian does have a loving, fit, and equipped 
family, and that he should be returned to his father immediately.
  There is no way that a child should not be with his or her parents 
because of material things that we value in this country. In our own 
country, for example, 18.9 percent of our children under 18 live in 
poverty. In Florida, 22.3 percent of the children live in poverty. In 
my own home state of California, over 23 percent of California's 
children live in poverty. I say this to say that we cannot evaluate 
Elian's situation in material terms because there is nothing more 
valuable than the love of a father and the support of a family unit.
  Now, I am greatly concerned that, in addition to the traumatic 
experiences of losing his mother, being shipwrecked, and nearly losing 
his own life, that Elian is now caught in an international custody 
battle. The constant barrage of questioning, interviews, protests, and 
the relentless exposure to the media, that has really only exacerbated 
the already extremely stressful and disorienting circumstances. Elian's 
health and his welfare must be our first priority. We must consider the 
potentially damaging and adverse impact of all of this negative 
activity.
  I urge for Elian's expeditious return to his family, his father, his 
community, and his familiar environment. It is my fear that the longer 
that this battle continues, the more Elian and his family will be 
harmed emotionally. The decision of whether to return Elian to his 
family in Cuba should not be a political decision. It should be a 
decision that exclusively supports the best interest of the child and 
his need to be reunited with his father.
  The time that I spent with Elian's father and his family has assured 
me in no uncertain terms that this reunification is a moral imperative 
and the right thing to do. I am appalled by the manner in which the 
rights of Elian's father, Mr. Gonzalez, continue to be threatened. To 
continue this policy which excludes Elian's father from participation 
in his son's life in his home sets a very dangerous precedent.

                              {time}  1430

  In no way would we allow our young people who do not have a lot of 
material things at home to be placed in homes that have more wealth. 
That is just unacceptable.
  Please, let us do the right thing for Elian and please let us send 
him back home to his father and his family.

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