[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 17 (Monday, May 1, 2000)]
[Pages 906-907]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Departure for Camp David, Maryland, and an Exchange With 
Reporters

April 22, 2000

Elian Gonzalez

    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.

 Note: The President spoke at 10:28 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House. 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.

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