La Sombra

In mid January two thousand, Alien's father, Emiel, gave an interview to ABC's Nightline. It had been nearly two months since he had been separated from Elian.

It has been suggested in some quarters, and I'm going to give you the opportunity to respond that the reason you do not come to Miami is because the Cuban government is afraid that once you get to Miami you will defect. How do you respond to that?

Chris Wallace interviewed him with a life translator. Ask Emiel answered his questions.

Who said that?

Who said that? I think I have been extremely clear clear people think, or some people think that I am under pressure and sometimes what I would like to do is go down there with a rifle. I don't know to get rid of How many people.

Are you serious about that, sir?

That's obviously a very inflammatory remark.

And what about isn't it inflammatory what they are doing with my son?

This moment was raw and revealed Juamiel's rage at being kept from his son, But in the interview Chris Wallace was hinting at something else that Framielle was being pressured by the Cuban government to bring Ellang back to Cuba to not affect to Miami that Framielle did not really mean the things he was saying. This is Kennoc Coffee, one of the attorneys for Alian's Miami relatives.

If you are living in Cuba, you're living in a totalitarian regime where your movements are watched, your actions are controlled, and you simply are not at liberty to advocate for your child's life and a democratic society.

But Miuel had been a Philista rogastro for a long time. He was part of the Cuban Communist Party, and he used this connection after Elian was taken in by his Miami relatives to knock on all the right doors until he got a meeting with Fidel Castro himself to ask for the government's help to get Elan back. He would later say in an interview with Cuban Press that Castro told him in their first meeting he could leave Cuba if he wanted.

So la.

Miami, and he told Castro no, he wanted to be reunited with Elean in Cuba. Before that, the Miami family had been hopeful. They thought this could be a chance for their family to reunite in the United States. In front of news cameras. The Miami family said Jamiel had told them something different than what he told Del Castro.

My uncle called Jamiel to let him know his son was okay and that we were taking care of him, and his answer was, quote, take care of him until I can go, meaning going to the United States.

After the Nightline interview aired, Jamiel's uncle, Lascero responded, saying something the family had said from the beginning. We will give your song to you once you come to the United States, you know, deary, And he continued, I'm only taking care of the boy and giving him the best I can because my family in Cuba asked me to care for him.

Also, Ramo Mdia, Yeah, my familia, miss Angry.

Here's my family, my blood, Lacearo said in a matter of fact tone. But as time passed, when Miel started using a different term than caring for Alian, one that echo Fidel Castro saying the Miami relatives had actually kidnapped Elian, my familiar. Pamiel said, the Miami family stopped letting him speak with Elian, so they disputed that Alien's Iami relatives and other Cuban Americans believed Castro cast a shadow over Juamiel casting a shadow on a sombra?

Did that?

Sora and Penny later meres and this is Chess Peace. The Lian Gonzalez Story a production of Futura Studios in partnership with Iheartsmichael Turda podcast network. After Ellen was found at sea, many were watching je Miel, analyzing him, seeing if it sounded like a real father, wondering did he really want to stay in Cuba or not?

If he really wanted to come to the United States.

I think the Cuban government would have done everything they could discourage him from going.

There were questions about whether the father of Elian was truly free, but how can we second guess his own views and love for soon?

The wan Miguel I interviewed was extremely stressed. You could see the pressure, the anxiety, the fear. I don't really think his life was his own. After Ellen became the biggest headline.

When it comes to Cuba, the question is always about freedom. If you have free will, I wanted to find out for myself. I wanted to ask Emiel and Elean what they truly wanted, But to do so I would have to return to Cuba for the first time in a decade, the first time ever as a journalist.

I was nervous and excited.

We submitted our project to the Cuban government Press office, and I applied for a journalist visa to enter the country where I was born. In Cuba, the government controls the media, and organizations like Reporters Without Borders have documented arbitrary detentions, harassment, illegal rates against Cuban journalists living on the island whose coverers doesn't align with the Cuban Communist Party. FOREI in journalists are accredited selectively, those whose work is

I'm working from Grand Central Station.

Cheer let me see on that, senior producer Nicole Rothwell. This past summer, we met up in midtown Manhattan on a hot and humid day.

So basically we are going to be here because even before asking Eliam for an interview, we need to ask a government for her mission, which is very Talian about Cuba and how Cuba works.

When you walk into the office, you are met with giant black and white portraits of.

Idel Castro on the walls.

We were invited into a meeting room with comfy couches and shares. The Cuban government official we spoke with offered us a cafecito and.

We gave our pitch, shared who we were.

And that we believed to tell the liand story, we needed to speak with Cuban's in Cuba, and they seem to agree. So we waited and we started trying to.

Reach sources in Cuba.

That's when we got some exciting news from a fixer in Cuba that Elian and his father Juamiel were open to an interview with us. All we needed now was our visa approval, so we kept waiting. Back to two thousand, a week after Juan Miel's Nightline interview, an announcement was made that captivated the world.

Today, the two grandmothers of Ilian Gonzalez flew from Havana to New York with a delegation from the National Council of Churches to say, without a moment's hesitation that they want to take Ilian home.

Just after landing in New York, the grandmothers gave a press conference. Traquel Rodriguez, the mother of Elizabeth, Alien's mom, spoke first through a translator.

Is the.

La mam liang.

Many people say that was the will of the mother.

Denoido avlo, that the son will stay here. Lang I talked for her because her very much. Okay sarva, I know how she thinks and how they behave Yeah, zebasoue okay then unga posso ramulento ilam and Asara.

The grandma alleged that her daughter only came to the US because her partner, Rafa, was violent and coerced her to get on the boat. Alien's grandma pleaded to be able to take him back with them to Cuba so her daughter could rest in peace.

Eole pidouelo alo.

Interested and.

You want to help us all about for kil Nino.

Aluela paga wela Let's concerin boss.

Elizabeth's mom told reporters this more than once, and even before her daughter's tragic death, she had express worry about the relationship. However, some of Elizabeth's friends and one of Raffa's former girlfriends denied that he was violent. What we do know is there seems to be some cheam around Rafa's reputation, but there is the possibility that it was

His mom to risk her life for him.

To get liberty, and I hope that this country gives us the opportunity of knowing what liberty is all about.

In the US, the grandma's met with Congress members and ultimately got a chance to meet with their grandson Elian, but just over a week after they landed, they boarded a plane back to Cuba without him. Before leaving the US, Elian's paternal grandmother, Mariella, made a final plea to the public, saying, Elian will never be happy here and.

He will never be happy.

Because he grew up in Cua and Cuba.

He's a Cuban boy.

He has a father Squadro, he has four grandpa familia, and he has an entire family back there.

The Grandma's returned to Cuba to a hero's welcome of thousands of Cubans in the street. They might have been empty handed, but it looked like a victory for the Cuban side. Appoll after their visit had two thirds of the US siding with them Elian should go back to his.

Father in Cuba.

A month after the Grandma's left the United States, the Senate held an unusual congressional hearing on Cuba inspired by the Elian case. As the Miami family seemed to be losing in the courts, they hoped they could win over the public and Congress. Mary Lacey's testified alongside Alina Fernandez, Fidel Castro's own a strange daughter. There is no recording of this hearing, but in her wading statement, Mary Lacey insisted that ju Miguel was hiding his true feelings.

Here is part of what she said to Congress.

He knows that his son is in a country of freedom or he is protected, and that is why he can sit there and read papers with the pain of heart say things that they're telling him to say, but he cannot turn around and say otherwise because he knows that his wife and his son might be in danger or are in danger.

Mary Lesis is talking here about what in Cuba we call Las somra, the shadow. It's the idea that the authorities are monitoring your every move, the secret police, the government, the spies, that you are always being watched, unmarked, and if you defy those authorities, you know there will be consequences. The shadow makes sure you always watch.

What you say.

It was not the only time Mary Lacey's assured Miel that in Miami, in the US, he will be safe.

I would like to follows to come and take him up because I know he's safe and I know that I put him in good hands.

Mary LASiS also told the Senate committee that Jua Miel had previously told them he would do anything to make it to the US. It was something that others had heard too, like Al Fere Cuban American historian.

I remember hearing, and I don't know if it's true, if it's another chease me is that the father had either applied to live or tried to leave himself before the wholely young thing.

The rumor was that Juan Miel wanted to come to the US, and that he even applied to El Bombo, the Bize lottery system, unique for Cubans at the time. It was reported that the Ions had no record of Juamiel applying, but an internal memo eventually surfaced revealing that some Irons officials did believe he applied to Al Bombo, and not only that, but that they suspected Juan Miuel

The familia.

Elian's family is in Cuba.

He said.

He has free health care and education here. His life is here. The Irons interviewed Emiel two times in Cuba, even in a so called neutral space, to make sure he was fit as a father, and he told them Elean was his life quote. I taught him how to swim, do karate. He has a part of here, dogs, a

Let's say he wanted the boy to say. Could he have said that, I don't think so. I think once the Cuban government asked for the boy back, I don't think there was any way for the father to have said that.

It's a very kind of Cuban problem in a sense, right where in a place where people are expected to say certain things, where people clap, even if they don't mean it, it's hard to distinguish between what is stated publicly and what is thought internally.

A very Cuban problem, it is hard to know what people really wanted in the alien case versus what they said they wanted on both sides, and that includes Elian himself.

The boys family in Miami kept saying, oh, he wants to stay.

I've asked him if he wanted to stay or if he wanted to go back, and he told me he wanted to stay.

Even if the boy said that, can you take that as a fact When he's a little boy who's being given all these presents and he just lost his mother and he's becoming attached to his cousin as a mother figure.

A couple of weeks after our meeting with the Cuban Mission in New York, we got news.

He was not good news.

Hello, Tim, I just saw the messages that or visa was the night and looking at the email, it says, I regret to inform you that the visa for Futuro Media for the project about Elian Gonzalez in Cuba was not approved. You know, no explanation, no avenue for week, consideration, not anything. So it's official denied the visa to go tomorrow country.

I felt bad.

It should not be like that, And then after we asked for another meeting to make our case, the Cuban mission agreed. We were hopeful this would mean their second chance. So the team went back without me.

And in Midtown Manhattan having a British javou.

This is gonna be ten number two.

The next day Nicole and Or executive producer Marlon Bishop called.

Me, Okay, can you both hear each other?

Hello?

Hi?

So yeah, we wanted to record a call and you know about how it went at the Cuban mission.

Okay.

He kind of started off as like this speech about like US Cuba relations and why they have to be very careful diligent about do they approve journalist thesis for but and he was just pretty like the rest their concerns were.

Over up anyway, They had done some dging on us, and the problem, it turns out, was me.

So yeah, they left the room for a second and he came back with a cell phone and he had already pulled up your Twitter with the keyword of Cuba and reading through tweets that you've made about Cuba in the past, specifically about the protests that were happening.

They didn't like some tweets, so they denied our visas.

I was informant to my followers on Twitter that there was a protest in Mexico City, mirrowing the protest in Cuba, so basically I was doing my reporter job.

I said the same thing. I said, I think she's just, you know, informing people that this is going on, and he's like, no, there's other tweets where it's you know, it's more of a call to action. Well, I guess this one is a little more opinionated. It says from July twelve, twenty twenty one, just google the tennessa oil no importancy to ninety's most to Kuba Party.

My tweet said Cuba needs you today.

It doesn't matter if you don't get what's going on, or if you once admired the Custro regime dot dot dot Today what matters is that you listen, look, speak. I wrote a series of tweets calling for attention to the massive protests of July twenty twenty one, when, for the first time in decades, thousands of Cubans came out to the streets to protest against the Jewan government, protesting in a dictatorship at the high risk of spending.

Years in Yale. It's a big deal. Yes.

In this particular tweet, I share my opinion. It came from a reflection I had from when I was younger and less critical of the Cuban government. Back then, I felt that the intentions of the Cuban government were good, but it was just that our circumstances as a country were difficult.

And I know I'm not alone.

A lot of people in the world have been moved by this idea that Cuba is standing up to the US like David versus Goliath. I was hoping to appeal to those people outside of the island who once believed in Castro's revolution. I wanted them to listen to what actual Cubans on the island were saying. Even now, I don't regret writing that tweet. As a journalist, I'm always very careful with getting involved with my stories, but I'm also a human and I felt like remaining side I

Was hard.

So basically because I tweeted those things, we are prevented from interviewing Alien. That's why he said, Like officially he didn't.

In those words like you can't interview Alien, as he said, you know, I think we're going to have to take a pause, but it was clear that he meant that this project, you know, wasn't going to be able to go forward, that we need to build trust as an organization with Cuba.

One of the reasons I have spent most of my career reporting about corruption and injustices in Mexico is because I have been prevented from reporting about my own country. I believe that journalism makes a country better, or at least more aware of its problems and failures. It's not the work of journalists to be a mouth peace for any government.

I know my people, you know, I know how they work. But at the same time, it is part of the story. This is part of why we have been saying that.

This is the story that goes beyond a Yan and goes into what was Fiva twenty five years ago and what is Stula today. So twenty five years ago, my father was prevented to.

Be with me, and now I'm prevented.

To go to my own country.

Four months after Elean was found at sea, the Miami family would get their wish, the possibility of a family reunification. Juan Miguel Gonzalez is ready at a moment's notice to come to the United States to be reunited with his son.

He has been ready, willing, and waiting for too many weeks, too many months.

But with a condition.

He needs only to be told that when he.

Comes here, he.

Will in fact be given custody of his son.

A condition that the Miami family had promised.

To deliver on.

In the early hours of April sixth, two thousand, Fidel Castro personally saw off Jamiel when he left for the US. His wife and their son, who was six months old, traveled with him. Their family kissed them goodbye on the tarmac before the sun even rose. This means a lot to me. April sixth is my birthday. I was turning thirteen that year, becoming a teenager. So while Famiel was on his way to be reunited with his son with Castro's blessing and support, I was still away from my dad,

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome one Michuel Gonzales to the United States America.

Immediately after landing in the United States, Joamiguel gave a press conference on the tarmac alongside his lawyer, his wife and newborn.

It was not just the media there.

Some of the Cuban exile community were there to welcome him with scigns like the maniola liberta.

Sombra.

Someone in the crowd yells out, you're free here. Here is no fear sombra. There is no shadow here. Remember in Cuban and Spanish, it means there is no Cuban authorities, no Fidel Castro, no one monitoring you, casting a shadow over you. It is painful to watch this video. Umiel looks defeated. He's reading a statement, stumbling over his words.

Come on stm for me, I thought as sicological and fluid and Supersionally, my.

Son has been subjected to cruel psychological pressures to influence his personality, he said.

Ellen I told into a c V in the meetings in Majo communication to col interest, the saga provit of political alma.

And on top of everything, he added, Elian has been exhibited in parades, meetings and in the media, all to use his.

Strategedy for political gain.

From the video, you can tell that toll this saga has taken on Juan Miguel. He looks tired, his best friend in Cuba. Toll reporters at the time that Jamielle's hair was falling out and he was suffering from stomach issues. The next day, Juamiel met privately with the Attorney General, Janet Reno.

Afterwards, she spoke to the press.

I wholeheartedly reject Cuba's system of government. Mister Gonzales and I do not share the same political beliefs, but it is not our place to punish a father for his political beliefs or where he wants to raise his child. Indeed, if we were to start judging parents on the basis of their political beliefs, we would change the concept of family for the rest of time.

Even when in the US, without Castro looking over his shoulder, Emiel refused asylum again, saying his life and family were in Cuba.

An Eilean Wood grew up on the island Cuban.

He wanted to go home. Not everybody wants to live in the United States. Mister Gonzalez wanted to go home, and he wanted to take a six year old son with This is.

Jim Goldman, a special agent with the I Ins who you met earlier in the series. Reno encouraged Juan Miel to meet with the Miami family and hash things out, but he told her it was too late. There was so much anger and pain on all sides. The relatives in Miami had promised that Jamiel only had to come to the US and they would give a lean back. But now even with Jamielle here, they still refused to hand him over the government. So things were escalating.

Every day thing to start worse and worse, and worship got darker and deeper.

Eventually, the Attorney General and AS Commissioner flew to Miami and met with the family there four hours in an effort to reach an agreement.

His relatives did not want him to go home. Call it what you want. Was he being held against as will I don't know. Was he endangered? I don't know.

On April twelfth, almost a week after Camille had landed in the US, the Ions instructed Lasarro Gonzalez remember the Great Uncle, to bring Elean to the Opa Loka Airport in Miami at two pm the next day, but he never showed. This is when the government revoked the Miami family's temporary care of Ilian. Remember, dian Areno was the legal custodian for Elian in the US, and after he was rescued, she gave the Miami family temporary care of him.

It has been nearly twelve weeks since the Commissioner's decision, four months since Elian was found at sea. It is time for this little boy, who has been through so much to be with his father. The relatives say it would be wrenching to him to take him from the home, but four months is no substitute for six years for a father who had such an important role in raising such a wonderful little boy.

The day that Lasar was supposed to bring Elian to the airport, a home video aired on Univision and soon spread across the news.

Ba Jnai Erica.

Eleann is sitting on a bed, presumably in the Miami family home, and someone is recording a home video of him saying, Bapa, I don't want to go to Cuba and you should stay here.

I'm not going to Cuba here.

After this line, he looks away towards someone of camera, and then the video cuts and edit before he picks up.

Again, sahah here you stay to return with.

Our Many who took the father's side felt that Eleano was coached in this video that he as a child, was being manipulated by the adults around him to say it. He wanted to remain in the United States, but perhaps what the Miami family had been worried about, that he would not have free willing Cuba was actually his reality here in the United States with them. On the same day the video aired, the Florida Family Court reversed his

Instead of discussing how Ilion should be reunited, the attorneys for the relatives continued to demand that we revisit the issue of whether Alion should be reunited. That is not what the law provides.

As negotiations stalled, Emiel was in d C without his son. One day, the frustration got to him as he grabbed some air outside the Qban interessection in d C. Protesters yelled to him that he could stay in the US with a lian.

Yes, that's yes, not I thing a waniyay? Why how'd I leaving a maday?

And he responded raising his middle finger. A brief hit of his more brazen self, and also likely a breaking point for him, because then Elian, who had been in the spotlight twenty four seven, started disappearing from the public view.

If my son hadn't been seen for five days, I'd be concerned, and I know mister Gonzales would have been concerned too.

Elian's grandmother's visit didn't bring him home to Cuba. His own father coming to the United States didn't bring the Gonzaleses together. The government now believed that only one thing could resolve the standoff at this point, an intervention by force if necessary.

That's next week. Chess Piece.

The Elian Gonzales Story is a production of Tudo Studios in partnership with Iheartsmichael Tura podcast Network. This show is written and reported by me Pennilei Ramdez with Maria Garcia, Nicole Rothwell, and Tasha Sandowa. Our editor is Maria Garcia, additional editing by Marlon Bishop.

Our senior producer is Nicole Rodwell.

Our associate producers are Tasha Sandoval and Elisabeth Loental Torns. Sound designed by Jacob Rosati with help from Stephani Levo, and our intern is Evelin Fajardo Albarez. Our senior production manager is Jessica Elis, with production supports from Nancy Trujillo, Francis Poon and Lolimar Marquez. Also thank you Lodi mar for voicing Marie Lesy Gonzalez for a quote.

That you heard in this episode.

Mixing by Stephani Levo, Julia Caruso and j J.

Corubin.

Fat checking by Media Bautista, Scoring and musical creation by Jacob Rosati and Stephanie Levo and credits music from Los Aceros Or. Executive producers are Marlon Bishop and Maria Garcia. Legal review by Neil Rossini. Hutua Media was founded by Maria Novosa. For more podcasts, listen to the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. An Penileia Mirez See you in the next episode Novenes and episode Yeah