Reno urges calm, patience in Elian case
By Michael J. Sniffen, Associated Press, 3/30/00
WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Janet Reno today appealed for calm in the growing political firestorm enveloping Elian Gonzalez, his father in Cuba and his relatives in the Cuban-American community of Miami.
"It is a community I was born in, and raised in," she said. "It's a community I love, and when it's hurting, it hurts me."
At her weekly news conference, Reno reiterated that the Clinton administration would try to be patient amid the clamor over custody of the 6-year-old boy, whose mother and 10 others died when their boat sank as they tried to flee to the United States last November.
As officials of the Immigration and Naturalization Service resumed discussions today with the boy's uncle over Washington's insistence that Elian's Cuban-American relatives accept whatever the courts rule, Reno voiced concern about possible unrest in Miami.
Of Cuban-Americans, she said, "These people have made a very wonderful contribution to that community. They have worked very hard. ... They are also very warm and generous people and they also believe passionately in what they believe in.
"The mother died, the boy survived miraculously. Relatives have taken him in and they have cared for him and love him dearly," Reno added. "This case has been heartbreaking for everybody involved but we believe the law is clear. The father must speak for the little boy because there is a sacred bond that must be honored -- and the boy must be reunited with his father."
Reno said the federal government could have moved by now to take custody of the boy, but has practiced a patient, cautious approach.
"Nothing, no court order, prevented us from doing so," she said. "The relatives had their day in court and we gave them an opportunity to file. A federal district court judge in Miami heard their case and affirmed our decision."
She noted that "we have been engaged in conversation and we are continuing conversation in Miami to try to work out a resolution to ensure that an appeal is heard in a timely way. And nothing will be done to return Elian if that happens and everybody agrees that they will abide by the ruling that comes down."
The attorney general declined to discuss what officials would do if the boy's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, travels to the United States.
"I don't deal in what-ifs," she told reporters.
Asked if the federal government is prepared ultimately to enforce the law, Reno replied, "You bet."
She voiced concern about statements Wednesday indicating local police would not be allowed to assist federal authorities if, and when, a decision is made to remove him from his great-uncle's home.
"Some officials yesterday decided that if we take action, it is a provocation," Reno said, "provoking a people that would produce risks that would contribute to violence.
"They said they would not be responsible for that, but that I would be," she added. "The people that I know in that community came to this country and contributed so much to it because they believe in the rule of law. They came to this country seeking a democratic society. ... I don't think they came to this country to incite violence."
Elian Gonzalez is carried in the arms of his cousin Marisleysis Gonzalez March 24 in Miami. (AP photo)
