[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
[April 22, 2000]
[Pages 760-761]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Action To Enforce the Elian Gonzalez Custody Decision and an Exchange With Reporters
April 22, 2000

    Good morning. As all of you know, this morning 6-year-old Elian 
Gonzalez was reunited with his father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez.

    The Department of Justice, under the leadership of Attorney General 
Reno, went to great lengths to negotiate a 
voluntary transfer. Even yesterday, the Attorney General worked very 
hard on this late into the night, showing great restraint, patience, and 
compassion. When all efforts failed, there was no alternative but to 
enforce the decision of the INS and a Federal court that Juan Miguel 
Gonzalez should have custody of his 
son. The law has been upheld, and that was the right thing to do.

    I am well aware that this has been a difficult time for all the 
parties involved. But let's remember, as I said from the outset, the 
most important thing was to treat this in a lawful manner according to 
the established process. This was, in the end, about a little boy who 
lost his mother and has not seen his father in more than 5 months. I 
hope, with time and support, Elian and his father will have the opportunity to be a strong family again.

    Thank you very much.

    Q.  Mr. President, what was your role, and did you give the go-ahead 
for the operation?

    The President.  Well, I talked to the Attorney General extensively, especially in the last several days, and I 
supported the decisions that were made. I think--we talked last evening 
last, and then I talked to Mr. Podesta two 
or three times through the night, and I believe that it was the right 
thing to do.

    She made the decision; she managed this, but 
I fully support what she did. And it was clear to me from our long 
conversations that we were in agreement about this. She had a special 
feeling because she was from Miami, she wanted to resolve this in the 
most patient way possible to minimize the damage to the people and the 
community that she loves so much. But she felt strongly, and I felt 
strongly, that the law had to be upheld and that Elian had to be 
reunited with his father. And every 
conceivable alternative was tried for quite a long time.

    So I think she did the right thing, and I'm 
very pleased with the way she handled it.


[[Page 761]]



 Note: The President spoke at 10:28 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House, prior to his departure for Camp David, MD. In his remarks, he 
referred to rescued Cuban youth Elian Gonzalez, who was removed from the 
house of his Miami relatives by Federal agents and reunited with his 
father earlier in the morning.