Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban boy who was at the center of a legal battle over whether he should be returned to the Cuba or stay in the United States after his mother died trying to bring him to relatives, is now an adult and has expressed a desire to return to the United States.
According to ABC News, in an interview, the now 21-year-old said he would like to return to the US as a tourist. He said “To the American people, first I say thank you for the love they give me. I want the time to give my love to American people.”
Some of the things he would reportedly like to do upon visiting the US would be to visit museums in Washington, talk to the people who love here, and to watch a game of baseball.
According to People, the international battle over Gonzalez occurred after he was founded in the ocean near Florida when the boat his mother and 18 other Cubans sank while trying to reach the states. His relatives in Miami wanted him to stay while in Cuba, his father wanted him to come home.
Gonzalez said he only remembered “I was alone in the middle of the sea” but he didn’t have much memory of the events afterwards. He did also remember what happened when their boat ended up capsized and his mom tried to save him.
An interpreter helped to speak for Gonzalez and he spoke of his mother’s efforts to come to Amerca. He said it wasn’t what he would agree to but he believed “she fought until the very last minute for me to survive.”
He is reportedly glad he returned to Cuba since he met the woman who is now his fiancée, Illianet Escano.
Of visiting the United States, Gonzalez said, “For my family it has always been, we always have the desire to say to the American people, to each household our gratitude, appreciation and love that we have.”